South Korea to require advertisers to label AI-generated ads
[December 10, 2025] By
KIM TONG-HYUNG
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea will require advertisers to label
their ads made with artificial intelligence technologies from next year
as it seeks to curb a surge of deceptive promotions featuring fabricated
experts or deep-faked celebrities endorsing food or pharmaceutical
products on social media.
Following a policy meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on
Wednesday, officials said they will ramp up screening and removal of
problematic AI-generated ads and impose punitive fines, citing growing
risks to consumers — especially older people who struggle to tell
whether content is AI-made.
Lee Dong-hoon, director of economic and financial policy at the Office
for Government Policy Coordination, said in a briefing that such ads are
“disrupting the market order,” and that “swift action is now essential.”
“Anyone who creates, edits, and posts AI-generated photos or videos will
be required to label them as AI-made, and the users of the platform will
be prohibited from removing or tampering with those labels,” he said.
AI-generated ads using digitally fabricated experts or deepfake videos
and audios of celebrities, promoting everything from weight-loss pills
and cosmetics to illegal gambling sites, have become staples across the
South Korean spaces of YouTube, Facebook and other social media
platforms.
The government will seek to revise the telecommunications act and other
related laws so the AI-labeling requirement, along with strengthened
monitoring and punitive measures, can take effect in early 2026.
Companies operating the platforms will also be responsible for ensuring
that advertisers comply with the labeling rules, Lee said.
AI fuels surge in false ads
Officials say it’s becoming increasingly difficult to monitor and detect
the growing number of false ads fueled by AI. South Korea’s Food and
Drug Safety Ministry identified more than 96,700 illegal online ads of
food and pharmaceutical products in 2024 and 68,950 through September
this year, up from around 59,000 in 2023.
The problem is also spreading into areas such as private education,
cosmetics and illegal gambling services, leaving the Korea Consumer
Agency and other watchdogs struggling to keep pace, the Government
Policy Coordination Office said.
Beyond deceptive ads and misinformation, South Korea is also grappling
with sexual abuse enabled by AI and other digital technologies. A Seoul
court last month sentenced a 33-year-old man to life in prison for
running an online blackmail ring that sexually exploited or abused more
than 200 victims, including many minors who were threatened with
deepfakes and other manipulated sexual images and videos.
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South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok speaks during a policy
meeting at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday,
Dec. 10, 2025. (Lee Jeong-hoon/Yonhap via AP)
 Officials plan to raise fines and
also introduce punitive penalties next year to discourage the
creation of false AI-generated ads, saying those who knowingly
distribute false or fabricated information online or through other
telecommunications networks could be held liable for damages up to
five times the losses incurred.
Officials will also strengthen monitoring and faster takedown
procedures, including enabling reviews within 24 hours and
introducing an emergency process to block harmful ads even before
deliberation is complete. They also plan to bolster the monitoring
capabilities of the Food and Drug Safety Ministry and the Korea
Consumer Agency — using AI, of course.
Despite risks, South Korea’s love for AI grows
Prime Minister Kim, Seoul’s No. 2 official behind President Lee Jae
Myung, said during the policy meeting that it’s crucial to “minimize
the side effects of new technologies” as the country embraces the
“AI era.”
The plans to label AI-generated ads were announced as Lee, in a
separate meeting with business leaders, reiterated his government’s
ambitions for AI, pledging national efforts to strengthen South
Korea’s capabilities in advanced computer chips that power the
global AI race.
Government plans include more research and development spending on
AI-specific chips and other advanced semiconductor products as well
as expanding the country’s chip manufacturing hubs beyond
metropolitan areas near the capital city of Seoul to the southern
regions. South Korean chipmakers, including Samsung Electronics and
SK Hynix, combined for more than 65% of the global memory chip
market last year.
The science and telecommunications ministry also said Wednesday it
will require the country’s wireless carriers to transition to 5G
standalone networks, which are seen as optimal for advanced AI
applications because of their higher bandwidth and lower latency, as
a condition for renewing their 3G and LTE licenses.
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