AI Policy and Regulations in South Korea (2020-2025): A Comprehensive Overview

Between 2020 and 2025, South Korea has emerged as a strategic leader in artificial intelligence (AI), advancing a vision to become one of the top three global AI powers by 2027. Through a combination of legislative foresight, public-private investment, and institutional innovation, the country has built a dynamic AI governance model that emphasizes flexibility, accountability, and ethical alignment.

This overview synthesizes South Korea’s efforts across legal regulation, national strategy, intellectual property, judicial rulings, and infrastructure—offering a detailed lens into how it balances technological ambition with social responsibility.

Recent Legal Regulations (2020-2025)

South Korea has modernized its AI and data protection laws to support innovation while safeguarding rights. Key among these is the AI Basic Act (2025), a foundational piece of legislation that establishes standards for high-impact AI systems and consolidates 19 prior regulatory proposals. Unlike the EU's risk-tiered model, South Korea’s law prioritizes flexibility and development continuity.

Simultaneously, the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) underwent major amendments in 2020 and 2023 to enhance transparency, enable pseudonymized data usage, and empower the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) as a centralized authority.

Other developments include updates to the Public Official Election Act to ban deepfakes in campaigns and the publication of national AI Ethical Standards, which promote human dignity, safety, and accountability.

Government AI Action Plan

South Korea’s AI action plan is centered on economic growth, global competitiveness, and human-centered innovation. Anchored by the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (2019), the government aims to integrate AI across 70% of corporate operations and 40% of manufacturing by 2030.

Strategic initiatives include the Presidential Committee on AI, the National AI Research Hub, and the AI Strategy High-Level Consultative Council, each playing critical roles in governance, R&D, and cross-sector coordination.

The country also emphasizes talent development, mandating AI literacy across the military, public sector, and industry, while backing next-gen R&D in semiconductors and computing. Economic forecasts estimate AI could add over KRW 455 trillion to GDP by 2030.

Intellectual Property and Data Usage

South Korea’s data governance framework is led by PIPA, complemented by sector-specific regulations such as the Credit Information Act, Medical Service Act, and Bioethics and Safety Act. These laws ensure data processing aligns with individual rights while supporting AI training and application.

The PIPC introduced a regulatory sandbox, anonymization guidelines, and a “privacy safe zone” for AI testing. The country is also developing policy on cross-border data transfers and risk-based consent models.

Innovation is supported without compromising on privacy—an approach increasingly vital as AI systems depend on sensitive and complex data.

AI Outputs and IP Protections

South Korea maintains a traditional stance that only humans can claim copyright over creative works. The legal system does not recognize AI-generated content as protected IP unless significant human creativity is demonstrated.

However, the government is evolving its framework. The Generative AI Copyright Guide (2023) clarifies that modified AI outputs may receive protection if they involve original human contributions. A proposed Text and Data Mining (TDM) amendment to the Copyright Act seeks to legally support AI training on copyrighted materials under specified conditions.

AI models themselves may be protected under patent law or as trade secrets, and providers can impose terms of use to guard against infringement.

AI Investments and Computing Power

South Korea is backing its AI ambitions with substantial capital. The government and private sector have committed over KRW 65 trillion ($49B) by 2027 to AI infrastructure and development. Key projects include:

• A National AI Computing Center with 1 exaflop capacity and 18,000 high-performance GPUs

• A 3 GW AI data center—one of the largest globally—slated for completion by 2028

• Major private investments by SK Hynix (KRW 103 trillion) and SK Telecom (data center expansion)

Despite a temporary R&D budget cut in 2024, South Korea continues to prioritize AI as a strategic economic pillar, positioning its infrastructure to rival global tech hubs.

Judicial Decisions on AI

Korean courts have upheld a human-centric interpretation of inventorship and authorship in AI-related cases. In the DABUS case, courts reaffirmed that AI cannot be recognized as an inventor under current patent law, aligning with interpretations in the EU and U.S.

Copyright guidelines similarly exclude AI-only generated works from protection, though courts may recognize derivative works involving human creativity. Judicial definitions of AI have expanded to include both generative and predictive systems.

In parallel, regulatory bodies like the PIPC and the Korea Fair Trade Commission are developing ethical and competition-focused frameworks that may shape future jurisprudence.

Conclusion

South Korea has taken a holistic, innovation-friendly approach to AI governance. With flexible regulation, world-class infrastructure investment, and a robust national strategy, the country is accelerating toward its 2027 goal of global AI leadership.

Its model—emphasizing ethical safeguards, regulatory coherence, and institutional collaboration—offers valuable insights for nations navigating the complex landscape of AI development.

Read the full comprehensive report AI Policy and Regulations of South Korea for a detailed analysis of South Korea’s AI policies, legal frameworks, and strategic roadmap for 2020-2025.