The Framework Act on AI applies from 22 January 2026 and reaches acts abroad that affect the Korean market. Below: a readiness self-assessment and an obligations register for high-impact and generative AI.
Download the templateThe Act (full name: Framework Act on the Development of Artificial Intelligence and the Establishment of a Foundation of Trust) does not regulate every AI system equally. Two categories carry the weight:
Two further points decide whether the Act reaches you at all: it applies extraterritorially to acts done abroad that affect the domestic market, and operators without an address in Korea, above a threshold set by decree, must appoint a domestic representative in writing and report the appointment to the Minister of Science and ICT.
| Trigger | Obligation | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| High-impact AI | Risk management | Identify, assess and mitigate risks across the life cycle; keep documentation |
| High-impact AI | Human oversight | A person can monitor and intervene in the system |
| High-impact AI | Explanation | An explanation plan, as far as technically feasible: final results, key criteria and an overview of training data (Art. 34(1)(2)) |
| High-impact AI | User protection | Establish and operate a user-protection plan (Art. 34(1)(3)) |
| High-impact or generative AI | Advance notice | Tell users in advance that the product or service runs on AI (Art. 31(1)) |
| Generative AI | Transparency | Notify users that output is AI-generated |
| Generative AI | Synthetic marking | Realistic deepfake content is clearly labelled |
| Foreign operator | Domestic representative | Appoint in writing above the decree threshold and report to the Minister of Science and ICT (Art. 36) |
| Large-scale AI | Safety | Life-cycle risk management for high-compute systems |
Category tests and thresholds are set by decree; confirm the current text before relying on them. The Act provides for administrative fines of up to KRW 30 million for failing to give the Art. 31(1) notice or to appoint a domestic representative (Art. 43).
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# KOREA AI BASIC ACT — READINESS SELF-ASSESSMENT & OBLIGATIONS REGISTER
Document code: KR-AIA-01 · Version 1.0 · Classification: Internal
Organisation: [NAME] Prepared by: [NAME/ROLE] Date: ……/……/20……
Reference: Framework Act on AI (applies from 22 January 2026)
SECTION 1 — SYSTEM INVENTORY
For each AI system, record: name · purpose · provider/in-house · users ·
data categories · deployment area · Korean users (Y/N).
SECTION 2 — HIGH-IMPACT CLASSIFICATION TEST (per system)
2.1 Is the system used in a listed area (energy, health care, biometric
analysis for criminal investigation, recruitment, loan screening,
state decisions on public services, similar)? [ ] Y [ ] N
2.2 Can its use significantly affect life, safety or rights? [ ] Y [ ] N
2.3 CONCLUSION: High-impact AI? [ ] Y [ ] N
→ If Y, Sections 3–4 apply.
SECTION 3 — HIGH-IMPACT OBLIGATIONS (evidence reference for each)
[ ] Risk management across the life cycle — documented .......... ref: ……
[ ] Human oversight — who can intervene, and how ................ ref: ……
[ ] Explanation plan — results, key criteria, training data ..... ref: ……
[ ] User-protection plan (Art. 34(1)(3)) ........................ ref: ……
[ ] Advance notice that the service runs on AI (Art. 31(1)) ..... ref: ……
[ ] Safety measures for large-scale/high-compute systems ........ ref: ……
SECTION 4 — GENERATIVE AI TRANSPARENCY (per generative system)
[ ] Users told in advance the service runs on AI (Art. 31(1)) ... ref: ……
[ ] Users are told the output is AI-generated ................... ref: ……
[ ] Realistic synthetic content (deepfake) is clearly marked .... ref: ……
[ ] Placement/wording of the notice defined per medium .......... ref: ……
SECTION 5 — EXTRATERRITORIAL / DOMESTIC REPRESENTATIVE
5.1 Do you have an address in Korea? [ ] Y [ ] N
5.2 If N, do you exceed the decree threshold (users/turnover)? [ ] Y [ ] N
5.3 If 5.2 = Y: domestic representative appointed in writing? [ ] Y [ ] N
Representative: [NAME] · [CONTACT] · appointment date: ……
5.4 Appointment reported to the Minister of Science and ICT? [ ] Y [ ] N
SECTION 6 — RECORDS
Retain: inventory, classification decisions, risk assessments, oversight
records, transparency evidence and the representative appointment.
Owner: [ROLE] Review cycle: [PERIOD] Next review: ……/……/20……
This template is general and does not constitute legal advice.
The Framework Act on AI applies from 22 January 2026. The categories and thresholds are filled in by presidential decree, which should be checked for the operative detail.
AI used in areas that may significantly affect life, safety or fundamental rights — such as energy supply, healthcare, biometric analysis for criminal investigation or arrest, recruitment and loan screening, and decisions by state bodies on eligibility for or charges for public services. The characterisation turns on the deployment, not the model alone.
Operators without an address in Korea and above a threshold set by decree must appoint a domestic representative in writing and report the appointment to the Minister of Science and ICT. Whether you cross the threshold depends on your Korean user base and turnover.
Yes. It applies extraterritorially to acts done abroad that affect the domestic market, so a non-Korean provider serving Korean users can be in scope.