SOUTH KOREA PERSPECTIVE

South Korea stands out in the global landscape of AI regulation as a success that even its neighbours envy: adopting an ambitious legislative framework without sacrificing its innovation ecosystem. The AI Basic Act (Framework Act on AI Development and Trust Establishment), which came into force on 22 January 2026, positions Seoul as the second major economy — after the EU — to have comprehensive AI regulation in place. The Chosun Ilbo, a conservative pro-American outlet, and the Hankyoreh, a progressive publication, converge for once in their national pride: the law consolidates 19 separate bills into a unified framework covering research funding, startup support and safety requirements, whilst preserving the interests of the chaebol (Samsung, LG, SK) that drive Korean AI development.

The governance structure reflects South Korea's technological ambition: a National AI Committee chaired by the President, an AI Policy Centre for industrial strategy and international cooperation, and an AI Safety Research Institute tasked with risk assessment and standards development. The JoongAng Ilbo notes that this three-tier architecture outpaces the American model (no dedicated structure) and the European model (complex architecture but without political leadership at the top). Enhanced obligations for "high-impact" systems — healthcare, energy, public services — and mandatory labelling of generative AI position South Korea as a model of calibrated regulation.

The North Korea dimension — an existential preoccupation that colours all Korean geopolitical reading — is surprisingly subdued on this subject, yet not absent: KBS aired a report on Pyongyang's cyber warfare capabilities and AI use in threat detection along the 38th parallel. Friction with Japan surfaces in coverage: South Korea's AI Basic Act is consistently presented as superior to Japan's AI Promotion Act, more "comprehensive" and more "ambitious". The principal blind spot concerns chaebol power: Samsung and other conglomerates that own media outlets shape coverage celebrating private innovation without questioning the concentration of AI power in a few hands.