Ko Hak-Soo, the Chairperson of the Personal Information Commission, said on the 27th that he is working with DeepSeek to address the data leakage issue that arose shortly after the launch of the R1 model. However, he explained that there has been no decision regarding the lifting of the domestic application market ban.
During a regular briefing with reporters held at the Government Seoul Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, at 3 p.m. that day, Chairperson Ko spoke about the current status of measures against DeepSeek, as well as the U.S. President Donald Trump's protective measures for domestic big tech corporations and the demands from the artificial intelligence (AI) industry regarding recent issues.
Chairperson Ko emphasized that DeepSeek recognizes South Korea as an important market. He stated, "DeepSeek thinks of the Korean market as significant and has shown interest and positive messaging about making necessary efforts to align with the Korean legal system." That day, Chairperson Ko noted that "encouraging and promoting the use of open-source models is something to encourage," adding that "it is essential for the commission and relevant departments to ensure that no insecurity arises in the process."
However, regarding the timing of lifting the ban on DeepSeek, he explained, "It is not the time to speak concretely." Chairperson Ko said that "we do not have a specific timeline" and added, "Communication is ongoing between the practical stakeholders, and both sides need to make a judgment on 'we are ready to proceed to this extent,' but at this point, it is not the time to say when it will be lifted."
Regarding TikTok's parent company ByteDance, where certain personal information has been confirmed to have leaked, he said, "We are in the process of identifying what information was leaked, and I do not have specific information to provide."
Concerning the strengthening of protective measures for domestic big tech corporations since President Trump took office, he noted, "We are exchanging information between government departments." Chairperson Ko explained that "how to respond to the Trump administration is a significant issue and is intertwined with not only the Personal Information Commission but also various other departments," stating that "we are in a phase of internal preparation regarding what issues the Personal Information Commission or related departments have and how to analyze and respond to them."
Regarding the responses of U.S. corporations to personal information protection issues, he stated, "It seems that global big tech corporations do not clearly hope for significant responses through the U.S. government, and we maintain a positive relationship with most corporations."
Chairperson Ko recently met with AI startups and listened to the challenges regarding data utilization in their service development processes. He mentioned that "there is a significant atmosphere in the industry that emphasizes the urgency of the current situation and the need to move quickly," adding that "this meeting became an opportunity to reflect internally on whether there are ways for corporations to utilize data more easily."