South Korea has suspended new downloads of the Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek, citing non-compliance with the country’s privacy laws.
As reported by Reuters, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) ordered Apple and Google to remove the app from their respective app stores, though users who already have the app can continue using it.
DeepSeek, which recently surged in popularity, acknowledged that it had overlooked aspects of South Korea’s data protection regulations.
The company has since appointed legal representatives in the country and stated that it is working on changes to regain compliance. South Korea’s acting president Choi Sang-mok called DeepSeek’s rise a “shock” that could have broader implications beyond the AI industry.
The app remains accessible through its web version, but the suspension reflects growing global scrutiny of AI privacy policies.
DeepSeek has quickly become one of the most downloaded AI apps worldwide. Since its launch in January 2025, it has topped the U.S. App Store charts, surpassing OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The app runs on DeepSeek-V3, a model that claims to rival or even outperform leading closed-source AI models while operating on a significantly lower budget.
DeepSeek’s rapid rise has drawn attention from industry leaders. The AI model was recently praised by Apple CEO Tim Cook,” while Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said AI advancements from China should be taken “very, very seriously,
South Korea’s PIPC has said DeepSeek will be reinstated once it fully complies with the country’s privacy laws.