SEOUL — South Korean authorities have removed DeepSeek from local app stores pending a review of the Chinese AI startup’s data privacy practices. The decision follows concerns over the app’s compliance with South Korea's data protection laws.

DeepSeek's R1 chatbot, launched last month, claims to rival U.S. AI technologies at a lower cost. However, South Korea, along with countries like France and Italy, raised questions about its data handling, prompting a request for clarification.

The country's data protection agency found that DeepSeek had not fully considered domestic privacy laws and estimated that aligning the app with these regulations would take significant time. As a result, DeepSeek agreed to suspend its service temporarily for necessary improvements.

While the app was removed from South Korean app stores on Saturday, users who had already downloaded it are advised to use caution and avoid entering personal data.