South Korea Halts Downloads of China's DeepSeek Amid Privacy Concerns

On Monday, South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) announced that it has stopped new downloads of DeepSeek. This decision was made to ensure the app's compliance with South Korea's privacy regulations.

Current Status: The suspension of new downloads has been in effect since Saturday. However, users can still access the app's web services. The PIPC is focused on enforcing data protection laws in the country.

DeepSeek has recognized that it is only partially compliant with these regulations and has taken steps by appointing legal representatives in South Korea. The commission has made it clear that improvements must be addressed before downloads can resume.

Significance: The concerns over DeepSeek are part of a wider global scrutiny of the app, especially regarding its low-cost operational model. In January 2025, the stock prices of many tech companies fell sharply due to fears that this model could pose a challenge to major U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) corporations.

For example, Nvidia Corp., a leading American producer of AI chips, experienced a significant drop in its stock price, falling 17% in just one day on January 27, resulting in a loss of approximately $600 billion in market value—the largest single-day loss in its history.

This suspension in South Korea is not an isolated incident. Italy's data protection agency, known as Garante, recently took similar action by instructing DeepSeek to disable its chatbot feature over privacy concerns. Taiwan has also banned the use of DeepSeek's AI tools in its government sectors, citing security issues, and Australia has barred the app from being utilized on any government devices.

Moreover, the United States is currently investigating DeepSeek for possible breaches of an AI technology embargo and is assessing potential national security risks associated with the company.

SouthKorea, DeepSeek, Privacy