South Korea has imposed a new sanction against the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek.

The Seoul Personal Information Protection Commission announced that DeepSeek cannot be downloaded until its data collection practices are reviewed.

The statement highlighted that it will take time to align the AI application with local privacy laws and it will be temporarily suspended until necessary improvements are made.

CAUTION ADVISED

Although the app was removed from local app stores at 6:00 PM local time on Saturday, it remains in use for those who downloaded it before the ban. The data protection agency in Seoul advised users to use the application carefully until final conclusions are announced.

Following the ban, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun called on relevant countries to avoid taking measures that go beyond the security concept or politicize trade and technology issues.