Internal Network Access to Deepseek Blocked by SK Telecom, LG Uplus, Naver, and Kakao Due to Security Concerns
Ministry of Science and ICT Orders Ban Until Security and Privacy Issues Are Resolved
Possibility of Allowing Use After Safety Is Verified, as with ChatGPT
As major domestic IT companies continue to announce blocks on access to China's generative artificial intelligence (AI) 'Deepseek,' the Ministry of Science and ICT, which oversees AI policy, has joined this effort. Amid growing security concerns, restrictions on Deepseek usage are rapidly spreading across the Korean IT industry.
According to the Ministry of Science and ICT on the 6th, Minister Yoo Sang-im instructed that access to Deepseek within the ministry be blocked until security and personal information issues related to Deepseek are resolved. Although there were internal opinions that it was somewhat contradictory for the main ministry responsible for AI policy and supporting related companies to block access to generative AI services, it is interpreted that security concerns were deemed a more important issue.
Earlier, domestic telecommunications and IT companies had issued notices discouraging or prohibiting the use of Deepseek. SK Telecom announced through a company-wide notice on the same day that the use of Deepseek for work purposes is completely banned. LG Uplus also sent information security-related notices to employees and blocked access to Deepseek on the internal network. Furthermore, LG Uplus requested employees to refrain from using Deepseek on personal PCs until security stability is confirmed.
Naver did not directly name Deepseek but stated in its "Precautions for Using Conversational AI Services" that AI services that store data on external servers are prohibited for work purposes. Kakao, which recently signed an official partnership with OpenAI, took preemptive action by being the first among domestic ICT companies to ban the use of Deepseek for internal work purposes. KT, one of the three major mobile carriers, has not yet announced an official stance but is reportedly reviewing restrictions on Deepseek usage internally.
An industry insider explained, "This access block measure is based on each company's internal security policies, and all decisions were made after internal compliance reviews, so there are no legal issues." They also suggested the possibility that restrictions on Deepseek might be eased once security issues are resolved, saying, "When ChatGPT first appeared, its use was initially discouraged but later lifted after safety was confirmed."
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