Kwon Seong-dong "DeepSeek Enables Reckless Data Collection... The National Assembly Should Also Block It"

Government and Public Institutions Block DeepSeek
In Response to Criticism of Daewang Whale Failure: "Drilling Will Continue in Remaining Mining Blocks"

On the 7th, the People Power Party requested the National Assembly to block access to China's generative artificial intelligence (AI) DeepSeek.

Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, said to reporters after a floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the same day, "Due to the possibility of indiscriminate information collection by DeepSeek, the government is implementing access blocking," and added, "The National Assembly has not yet taken a position, but we publicly demand the Secretary General to block access to DeepSeek." The Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Unification, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the prosecution, and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power have blocked access to DeepSeek citing information security and personal data protection concerns.

Regarding the Daewang Whale project, which has faced criticism from opposition parties as a 'mirage' or 'fraudulent drilling' after the first exploratory drilling was judged to be economically unfeasible, he rebutted, "It has been revealed that there are seven promising mining blocks on the East Coast, and one was drilled, but the result showed it was not an economically viable block, so there is no need to be disappointed."

He continued, "From the perspective of our country, which lacks underground resources, the official position of the party and government is that the remaining seven areas should continue to be drilled for resource development."

Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on February 7, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Regarding constitutional amendment discussions, he said, "Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is very passive, but the majority of the media, the public, and senior politicians have expressed the view that it is time to revise the 1987 system and are moving accordingly," adding, "I expect that once public opinion matures, Leader Lee will follow."

In response to a reporter's question about whether the party plans to establish a body to extend the retirement age, Floor Leader Kwon explained, "It is possible when institutional improvements that satisfy both the younger and middle-aged generations are achieved in one shot," and added, "The government has decided to discuss this at the Labor-Management-Government Council, and depending on the reform plan, if necessary, we will launch a special committee at the party level."