South Korea’s Act on the Development of Artificial Intelligence and Establishment of Trust (AI Basic Act) took effect on January 22, 2026, joining the European Union AI Act as a comprehensive AI regulatory regime. The AI Basic Act provides high-level requirements for transparency and addressing high-risk AI systems, and confirms its extraterritorial application. It also creates the framework for the development and promulgation of specific requirements via existing and new government organizations. The Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology (MSIT) is charged with finalizing the specific enforcement decrees that will provide the technical details for compliance.
