Source: The Korea Herald

The Korea Herald reports growing uncertainty in South Korea over the delayed implementation of its Artificial Intelligence Act due to the government’s failure to issue supporting presidential and ministerial decrees on time. Although the AI Act passed the National Assembly in March 2024 and officially took effect in June 2024, the necessary administrative decrees have not yet been promulgated as of July 2025.

Experts warn that the absence of these decrees creates a significant legal vacuum, preventing companies and institutions from properly complying with the law. The Ministry of Science and ICT attributes the delay to inter-ministerial coordination problems and ongoing legal consultations. The AI Act was designed to provide comprehensive rules for safe and ethical AI development, especially in high-risk sectors, but without specific enforcement guidelines, it remains largely symbolic.

Civil society and academia have expressed concerns that these delays weaken public trust and impede the legal certainty necessary for innovation. Some worry that this inertia may affect South Korea’s global competitiveness in AI governance. The Ministry now expects the decrees to be finalized by late 2025, more than a year after the law came into effect.