December 27th.South KoreaThe National Assembly yesterday, local time, adopted theAIThe Act on the Creation of a Foundation for Development and Trust (note: hereinafter referred to as the "AI Framework Act"), which is expected to be implemented in January 2026 after it is passed by the Cabinet Meeting early next year.
South Korea has thus become a post-EUSecond country or region in the world to pass an "Artificial Intelligence Act"..
Korea's AI Framework Act focuses on three main areas: building a governance system, supporting industry development, and preventing possible risks:
Building governance systems
The bill stipulates that the Minister of Science and ICT may, in consultation with relevant agencies and local governments, formulate and implement an AI basic plan every three years to strengthen Korea's AI competitiveness; it also establishes a legal basis for the operation of the Korea Artificial Intelligence Council, and the Institute of Artificial Intelligence Safety.
Support for industrial development
Korea's AI Framework Act provides legal backing for the Korean government's support for AI development and application; it also plans to support the development of the country's AI ecosystem through the designation of AI parks and the promotion of the construction of AI data centers; and it stipulates measures for fostering human resources in the age of AI and promoting the development of small- and medium-sized AI enterprises.
Protection against possible risks
The bill defines high-impact AI and generative AI as regulated entities, requires developers to ensure AI transparency and security, and provides a basis for the government to support voluntary AI reliability and impact assessments by private companies.
