South Korea | Regulatory Framework
Status: in force
Effective: 2026-01-22
systemic South Korea: partial amendment to AI Basic Act (promulgated 20 Jan 2026)
Basic Act on the Development of Artificial Intelligence and Establishment of Trust Base — Partial Amendment
I. Regulatory Summary
Creates a national compliance baseline that legal and advisory practitioners must interpret and operationalise for clients using generative and high-impact AI in Korea (governance, transparency/labeling, documentation and oversight).
II. Full Description
The AI Basic Act (as amended) provides South Korea’s overarching AI governance framework and the legal basis for delegated detail in the Enforcement Decree and related guidelines. Public reporting around the law’s commencement highlighted governance and transparency mechanisms (human oversight for high-impact use cases; notice/labeling for certain AI interactions; and labeling of generative outputs), alongside administrative fines and an initial grace period before certain penalties apply.
III. Scope & Application
Legislative amendment to South Korea’s AI Basic Act ahead of its entry into effect in late January 2026, underpinning the national AI governance framework (including transparency for certain AI uses and governance for high-impact AI).
IV. Policy Impact Assessment
Creates a national compliance baseline that legal and advisory practitioners must interpret and operationalise for clients using generative and high-impact AI in Korea (governance, transparency/labeling, documentation and oversight).
Primary Focus: national AI governance law