The government moved to respond to fake doctor and expert ads that use artificial intelligence (AI), including deepfakes. It said false and Director ads in foods and drugs were amplifying harm, especially among older adults, and rapidly spreading via social media, disrupting market order.
On Dec. 10, the government finalized a plan titled "Measures to respond to false and Director ads that disrupt market order using AI, etc." at the 7th National Policy Coordination Meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok.
◇ Mandatory labeling of AI-generated content
The Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) decided to introduce an "AI-generated content labeling system" across platforms. Going forward, any "direct information provider" who produces or edits photos and videos with AI and posts them must label the content as AI-generated. Other users are prohibited from deleting or tampering with this label. Platform operators are responsible for providing labeling methods and notifying users of the labeling obligation.
Under the "Basic AI Act," set to take effect in Jan. 2026, the Ministry of Science and ICT will prepare detailed guidelines to ensure that AI operators' labeling obligations work properly in the field. The government said it aims to help consumers clearly distinguish real people and remarks from synthesized or manipulated content.
◇ Review and emergency blocking within 24 hours… higher punitive damages and penalty surcharge
At the distribution stage, the focus is on "speed." The KMCC and the Korea Media and Communications Review Commission plan to push for legal revisions to include foods and drugs, cosmetics, quasi-drugs, and medical devices—categories where AI false and Director ads are frequent—under written review. In such cases, a fast-track process that completes review within 24 hours of request would apply, which the government said will allow quick removal of problematic ads. The Korea Media and Communications Review Commission's dedicated application system for the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety will also be expanded from narcotics to all related categories.
For matters posing significant risks to life and property, the KMCC will establish a new procedure to issue an "emergency corrective request" to platform operators. When a relevant ministry asks the KMCC, the KMCC will request temporary corrective measures from the platform, then finalize blocking or restore the content based on the review commission's result.
The Fair Trade Commission and the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety will also specify criteria to judge the illegality of ads in which AI recommends products. In general product ads, if AI recommends a product without revealing that the recommender is a "virtual human," it will be deemed a deceptive label or ad. In the foods and drugs sector, the standard will clarify that ads featuring AI-generated "doctors" or other experts who recommend or guarantee efficacy will be considered deceptive to consumers.
The KMCC and the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) will pursue a plan to impose punitive damages of up to five times the amount of loss for malicious distribution of false or manipulated information on information networks, and will significantly raise the level of penalty surcharge for false and Director ads under the labeling and advertising law. The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety and the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) will strengthen constant monitoring and enforcement, and the government will encourage more advanced self-regulation in the platform industry.
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said, "Through these measures, we will minimize the side effects of new technologies and establish market order befitting the AI era," adding, "We will swiftly push legal and institutional improvements while communicating closely with the platform industry and consumer groups."