South Korea’s AI Basic Act is in force. Foreign companies need a local representative.

In short: South Korea’s AI Basic Act has applied since January 22, 2026. It requires notice to users of AI and generative AI; risk management with human oversight, explanation and user protection for “high-impact” AI, with an impact assessment operators must make efforts to carry out; labels on generative output; and a domestic representative for large foreign providers. Fines are capped at 30 million won and deferred for a grace period of at least one year, but the duties apply now.^1,2

Korea passed the Act on December 26, 2024 and gave businesses roughly a year to prepare.³ With it in force, Korea joins the European Union as a jurisdiction with a comprehensive, binding AI statute.¹ For organizations that sell AI-enabled products or services to Korean users, it adds a new set of obligations to the compliance map. This briefing is educational, not legal advice.