Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has temporarily suspended downloads of its chatbot applications in South Korea as it collaborates with regulators to resolve privacy issues, South Korean officials confirmed on Monday.
The country’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) announced that DeepSeek’s apps were pulled from Apple’s App Store and Google Play in South Korea on Saturday evening. The company has committed to enhancing privacy safeguards before reintroducing its services.
Existing users who have already installed DeepSeek on their smartphones or access it via personal computers remain unaffected. However, Nam Seok, director of PIPC’s investigation division, urged South Korean users to either delete the app or refrain from inputting personal data until the privacy concerns are addressed.
Numerous South Korean government agencies and corporations have already restricted DeepSeek’s usage on their networks or banned employees from utilizing it for work due to fears that the AI may be collecting excessive sensitive information.
The PIPC’s ongoing review, which began last month, identified a lack of transparency in DeepSeek’s handling of third-party data transfers and potential overreach in personal data collection, according to Nam.
While the commission has not disclosed the exact number of DeepSeek users in South Korea, data from Wiseapp Retail indicates that approximately 1.2 million smartphone users engaged with the AI during the fourth week of January, making it the country’s second most-used AI model after ChatGPT.
DeepSeek’s commitment to working with regulators suggests a possible relaunch in the future, but until then, South Korean users are advised to exercise caution when using the app.