South Korea’s Caution Against DeepSeek: A Focus on Security

South Korea’s industry ministry has initiated a temporary restriction on employee access to the Chinese artificial intelligence startup, DeepSeek, due to prevailing security concerns. An official from the ministry announced this on Wednesday, highlighting the government’s call for careful consideration regarding generative AI services.

Government Advisory on AI Services

The government issued a directive on Tuesday, urging ministries and agencies to exercise caution when utilising AI services such as DeepSeek and ChatGPT in workplace environments, according to various officials.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, a state-run entity, stated it had restricted the usage of AI services, including DeepSeek, earlier this month.

Defence and Foreign Ministries Take Action

As per reports on Thursday, the defence ministry has also prohibited access to DeepSeek on computers designated for military purposes. Furthermore, the foreign ministry has imposed limits on DeepSeek usage on computers that are linked to external networks. Although the ministry did not specify the security measures in detail, it acknowledged the restrictions made.

International Actions Concerning DeepSeek

DeepSeek did not provide an immediate response to an email request for comments regarding these developments. It remains unclear if any specific actions have been taken against ChatGPT by the ministries involved.

This ban places South Korea among the latest countries to issue warnings or restrictions concerning DeepSeek. Australia and Taiwan have also banned the AI service on all government devices this week due to perceived security threats posed by the Chinese startup.

Earlier in January, Italy’s data protection authority mandated that DeepSeek block its chatbot within the nation after the company failed to address the regulator’s privacy policy concerns adequately.

Various governments across Europe, the United States, and India are currently assessing the implications of utilising DeepSeek.

South Korean Tech Firms Exercise Caution

The South Korean information privacy watchdog intends to inquire DeepSeek regarding the management of users’ personal information.

DeepSeek’s recent release of advanced AI models last month has created significant waves in the technology sector. The company claims that its models either match or exceed the capabilities of those developed in the United States and are offered at a significantly lower cost.

In light of security concerns, Kakao Corp, a leading chat application provider in South Korea, has advised its employees to avoid using DeepSeek. This guidance was given on Wednesday, the day after the company announced a collaboration with prominent generative AI firm OpenAI.

South Korean technology firms are increasingly adopting a cautious approach towards the use of generative AI. SK Hynix, a producer of AI chips, has limited access to generative AI services and allowed use only when essential, as stated by a spokesperson.

Naver, a significant web portal in South Korea, has also urged its employees to refrain from utilising generative AI services that store data externally.