CORÉE DU SUD PERSPECTIVE

South Korea stands out in the global AI regulation landscape with an achievement that even its neighbors envy: having adopted an ambitious legislative framework without sacrificing its innovation ecosystem. The AI Basic Act, effective January 22, 2026, makes Seoul the second global actor — after the EU — to have comprehensive AI regulation. The Chosun Ilbo and Hankyoreh 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, while preserving chaebol interests (Samsung, LG, SK) as the engines of Korean AI.

The governance structure is characteristic of Korean technological ambition: a National AI Committee chaired by the President, an AI Policy Center for industrial strategy and international cooperation, and an AI Safety Research Institute for risk assessment and standards development. The JoongAng Ilbo notes this three-tier architecture surpasses the American model (no dedicated structure) and the European model (complex architecture but no political leadership at the top). Enhanced obligations for 'high-impact' systems and mandatory generative AI labeling position Korea as a model of calibrated regulation.

The North Korean dimension is surprisingly discreet on this subject but not absent: KBS covered Pyongyang's cyberwarfare capabilities and AI use in threat detection along the 38th parallel. Anti-Japanese resentment shows in coverage: Korea's AI Basic Act is systematically presented as superior to Japan's AI Promotion Act. The main blind spot is chaebol power: Samsung and other media-owning conglomerates shape coverage that celebrates private innovation without ever questioning AI power concentration.