South Korean Ministries Block DeepSeek Over Security Issues

The South Korean Ministry of Industry has temporarily barred its employees from accessing the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek due to security concerns, highlighting the government's increasing wariness towards generative AI services, NewsBox reports.

On Wednesday, a ministry representative stated that the government issued a notice urging all ministries and agencies to exercise caution when using AI services for work purposes, including DeepSeek and ChatGPT. Earlier this month, the state-owned company Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power also restricted the use of AI services, including DeepSeek, reports Reuters.

According to official sources, the Ministry of Defense also blocked access to DeepSeek on computers used for military purposes, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs restricted access to the service on computers connected to external networks.

These actions place South Korea among the latest governments to express concerns about DeepSeek or to impose restrictions on its use. Previously, Australia and Taiwan banned DeepSeek on all governmental devices, and the Italian data protection authority ordered the company to block its chatbot in the country due to privacy policy concerns.