The state regulator "strongly advised" users to avoid the Chinese AI service pending "improvements" under local laws

South Korea's national data protection watchdog has announced a "temporary" suspension of the widely popular DeepSeek AI service in the country until authorities complete their review of the Chinese startup's data collection practices and implement "improvements and remedies."

On Monday, the Personal Information Protection Commission stated that DeepSeek's applications had been removed from local app stores and access to its web service was suspended at 6pm on Saturday. The ban will remain in place until the company makes changes to ensure "compliance" with local laws, according to Yonhap.

The app remains available to users who had already downloaded it, but Seoul's data watchdog "strongly advised" them to "use the service with caution" until the final results of the probe are announced.

In January, the Hangzhou-based company DeepSeek triggered a tech 'arms race' by releasing an open-source version of its reasoning AI model, R1, which it claims was developed at a significantly lower cost while delivering performance comparable to competitors such as OpenAI's ChatGPT.

Unlike its US rival, which offers advanced features through a subscription model, DeepSeek-R1 is freely accessible. This helped propel it to the top of Apple's App Store and Google Play rankings, while its web-based service has experienced sporadic outages due to overload.

DeepSeek also allows users to download its models and run them locally on their own servers for free, reinforcing the open-source community's belief that AI should be widely accessible. This approach differs from that of Western competitors, which often prioritize proprietary models and restricted access.

However, when accessed through the company's website or apps, user data inevitably passes through DeepSeek's servers in China, raising concerns about data collection practices. Numerous government agencies and businesses in the US and worldwide have moved to limit access to DeepSeek, while Italy recently became the first country to impose a nationwide restriction pending an investigation.

Last month, the South Korean watchdog formally requested that DeepSeek clarify its data collection and management practices. The company was required to appoint a local representative in Seoul and actively cooperate with the commission.