Minister Yusangim of MSIT: "Minimize AI Regulation... Hope It Becomes a Global Standard"

Year-end Press Conference Held on the 23rd
Clarification on Controversy over Toxic Clauses in the AI Basic Act
"Trump Provided a Difficult Environment"

Yoo Sang-im, Minister of Science and ICT, stated on the 23rd regarding the AI Basic Act, "We will make inter-ministerial efforts to approach it from the standpoint of minimizing regulations as much as possible."

Minister Yusang-im of the Ministry of Science and ICT is speaking at a year-end press briefing held at a restaurant in Sejong City on the 23rd. Photo by Baek Jong-min

At a year-end press briefing held near the Government Complex Sejong on the same day, Minister Yoo said, "The AI Basic Act, which is about to pass the plenary session of the National Assembly, will be implemented with enforcement ordinances based on the principle of minimizing regulations."

This appears to take into account the controversy that the AI Basic Act contains toxic clauses granting investigative authority to authorities even for simple civil complaints or reports.

Minister Yoo clarified his position, saying, "While well-intentioned accusations and reports are necessary, there are many malicious ones as well. Investigating each time could cause significant damage to businesses, so we will not do that."

He also expressed his intention to coordinate positions with other ministries such as the Fair Trade Commission, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy during the process of establishing AI-related regulations, seeking directions that will benefit the AI industry ecosystem.

Furthermore, regarding the inauguration of the Trump administration in the United States, Minister Yoo said, "It is a clear fact that it presents a considerably difficult environment for us, unlike the Biden administration."

He added, "I hope that South Korea’s AI Basic Act and detailed regulatory laws, keeping pace with advanced countries like the United States and Japan that do not yet have AI laws, will become the global standard. If we devise regulations that are neither excessive nor insufficient, we could become G1 (world number one) in AI law."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.