The South Korean government has temporarily banned access to the DeepSeek AI chatbot following a review by the country’s data protection agency into how the Chinese company is managing Korean user data.

South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) said that domestic service of the app would be suspended from Saturday (15th Feb), while ‘improvements’ are made in accordance with the country’s Personal Information Protection Act. 

Earlier analysis of DeepSeek by the South Korean authorities had apparently identified shortcomings in the app’s communications functions and personal information processing, including access to user’s personal data by third-parties.   

The new restrictions mean that DeepSeek will not be available on app stores within the country, with those who have already downloaded it being urged to use it cautiously, and advised not to enter any personal information until a decision on the app’s future has been made.

That advice follows an earlier instruction by several South Korean government agencies, which banned workers from downloading or using the app on their official devices, according to earlier reports from Reuters.

“The Personal Information Protection Commission plans to closely inspect the personal information processing status of DeepSeek service during the service suspension period to improve compliance with the protection law and alleviate concerns about personal information protection of our citizens,” the Commission said in a statement.

According to the PIPC, an official inquiry was immediately made to DeepSeek’s Chinese headquarters after its launch, as the government sought clarification on the collection and processing of personal information, however these concerns did not curtail the enthusiasm of millions of South Koreans, with DeepSeek fast becoming one of the country’s most downloaded apps. 

The Commission also said that, following that initial inquiry, DeepSeek had appointed a ‘domestic agent’ to South Korea in a sign of its intention to cooperate with the government over data rules, but the AI firm reportedly admitted it had neglected to consider such domestic protection laws during the process of launching its global service.

Despite a similar inspection by South Korea of other major AI service providers last year taking around five months, the Commission said that the remediation of DeepSeek’s processes to fit with the law is expected to be much quicker.

With those results, South Korea intends to establish a guide for overseas AI developers hoping to launch in the country, as well as strengthen the laws and enforcement actions available to the data protection authorities.

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However, despite whether or not DeepSeek manages to meet South Korean expectations, the app’s global future remains uncertain at best.

The Australian government has already banned the app for civil servants over growing national security concerns, as has Taiwan.

In Europe, the Italian Data Protection Authority has ordered the app to be blocked after it failed to address concerns over privacy, although the UK Government has so far stopped short of restricting the app, and instead asked businesses and citizens to tread carefully when using it.

Three US states, namely New York, Texas and Virginia, have already banned the app on state-owned devices, with Texan authorities announcing on Friday that it was investigating the Chinese company concerning allegations of violating data privacy law.