South Korean in-house counsel ought to act as controllers inside an organization concerning synthetic intelligence (AI), says Yoon & Yang accomplice Kwang-Wook Lee.
“South Korea is the second nation on the earth to introduce an AI regulatory framework, the AI Framework Act. As this laws continues to be in its early phases, in-house counsel should take management of AI operations to ascertain correct inside requirements and eradicate authorized dangers,” he mentioned on the Korea Authorized Tech Discussion board 2026 held on the Conrad Seoul on 9 June 2026.
South Korea’s AI Framework Act, which took impact in January 2026, is about to be amended in July. Lee mentioned that the laws would endure steady revisions, with the federal government establishing a grace interval.
“The federal government’s strategy will probably concentrate on making the regulation a rational help instrument for companies somewhat than only a compliance burden,” mentioned Lee.
He added that companies utilising AI solely for inside functions had been at the moment labeled as “customers” and fell outdoors the regulatory scope of the AI Framework Act.
“As a result of regulation companies act as customers of providers developed by legaltech corporations, they aren’t labeled as AI enterprise operators,” mentioned Lee.
Nevertheless, Lee mentioned that as a result of confidentiality was paramount in authorized observe, it was important to make sure that AI-generated output remained strictly inside and was by no means uncovered externally.
“Particularly, it’s essential to make sure that company knowledge is just not inadvertently offered as coaching materials for AI fashions. In-house counsel should keep steady monitoring, instantly droop operations if a difficulty arises and implement corrective measures,” he mentioned.
Admitted to the Korean bar in 1999, Lee is at the moment head of the brand new know-how observe group at Yoon & Yang.