Deposit of Mass-Produced AI Books Curbed... National Library of Korea Gains Legal Grounds to Refuse

Library Act Amendment Passes National Assembly
Blocking Low-Quality Publications Aimed at Compensation
Deposit May Be Refused and Compensation Reclaimed
Following Review by the Library Materials Review Committee

A legal basis has been established to exclude so-called "Ddalggak Publications," mass-produced in a short period using generative artificial intelligence (AI), from the deposit requirements of the National Library of Korea. This measure aims to prevent the deposit system, designed for the preservation of national literature, from being exploited as a loophole for receiving compensation through the submission of low-quality publications.

The "Library Act Amendment Bill," which could serve as a basis to prevent abuse of deposit compensation by 'AI Ddakkkak Publishing,' passed the National Assembly plenary session on the 7th.

According to the National Assembly and the publishing industry on the 7th, a partial amendment to the Library Act, which restricts the indiscriminate deposit of generative AI publications, passed the National Assembly plenary session on this day. The amendment stipulates that the Director of the National Library of Korea, following a review by the Library Materials Review Committee, may refuse the deposit of materials with low preservation value or adjust the number of copies required for deposit.

The deposit system requires that materials published or produced in Korea be submitted to the National Library of Korea within a specified period. When the National Library receives materials for sale, it has been providing compensation for one copy for viewing purposes, in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. The issue arose after the proliferation of generative AI, as cases increased where large quantities of materials not sufficiently reviewed by humans were produced to receive deposit compensation.

The National Library of Korea had previously announced its intention to strengthen the management of whether AI-generated publications should be subject to deposit, in response to the surge in such materials. In a press release in February, the library explained that social interest in deposit collection and compensation payments had grown alongside the rise in AI-generated publications, and stated that it would more thoroughly inspect deposit materials from publishers whose ISBN issuance numbers are above average. The library also noted that works by AI publishers at the center of the controversy were excluded from deposit due to reasons such as repetitive content.

The key point of this amendment is that it provides a clear legal basis for on-site judgment. Previously, even materials created by AI could be subject to deposit and compensation if they met the formal requirements of a publication. However, with the passage of the amendment, the National Library of Korea, following review by the Library Materials Review Committee, can now determine the preservation value and suitability for deposit before deciding whether to accept the materials. Grounds have also been established for reclaiming compensation that was improperly obtained.

The controversy over AI publications intensified at the beginning of this year. As cases emerged of publishers producing thousands of books annually using AI technology, concerns grew that the preservation space and budget of the national library could be spent on materials of unclear preservation value. The publishing industry has consistently called not for a ban on the use of AI itself, but for filtering out the mass production of materials with little human creative involvement or those containing many errors and repetitions from being incorporated into the public compensation system.

The amendment was prepared as an alternative by the Chairperson of the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, based on bills respectively sponsored by Assemblyman Lee Hakyoung and Assemblywoman Lim Okyung of the Democratic Party of Korea, as well as Assemblywoman Cho Eunhee of the People Power Party. Assemblywoman Cho Eunhee stated, "The deposit system is intended to preserve knowledge assets, not to serve as a loophole for obtaining compensation through expedient means," and emphasized, "As AI publications are bound to increase rapidly, the system must be improved to prevent such expedients and to protect diligent publishing and research."

However, the criteria and review methods for distinguishing AI publications remain as follow-up tasks. Since not all materials can be excluded solely because AI was used, it is necessary to establish specific standards that assess the extent of human authors' planning, editing, and verification, as well as the informational and preservation value of the material.

There are also voices within the publishing industry asserting that this legal amendment should be clearly understood not as a mechanism for banning AI publications, but as the minimum safeguard to address loopholes in the deposit compensation system.

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