South Korea to Require Labels on AI-Generated Ads; Platforms Face Fines, Faster Takedowns

South Korea will require advertisers to clearly label any ads created or edited with artificial intelligence starting next year, officials announced after a policy meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok. The move responds to a rising wave of deceptive promotions that use fabricated experts or deepfaked celebrities to market food, pharmaceuticals and other products on social media.

New Rules, Monitoring and Penalties

Lee Dong-hoon, director of economic and financial policy at the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said the ads are “disrupting the market order” and called for prompt action. The government said anyone who creates, edits or posts AI-generated photos or videos must label them as AI-made, and platforms must prevent removal or tampering with those labels.

Officials plan to revise the Telecommunications Act and related laws so the labeling requirement, tighter monitoring and punitive measures can take effect in early 2026. Platform operators will be held responsible for ensuring advertisers comply with the rules, and regulators will empower faster takedowns and emergency blocking when ads are judged harmful.

Scope of the Problem

AI-generated ads that feature digitally fabricated experts or deepfaked audio and video of celebrities have proliferated on YouTube, Facebook and other social platforms. The Food and Drug Safety Ministry identified more than 96,700 illegal online ads for food and pharmaceutical products in 2024, and 68,950 through September 2025, up from roughly 59,000 in 2023.

Authorities say the abuse extends to private education, cosmetics and illegal gambling services, straining the Korea Consumer Agency and other watchdogs. To deter wrongdoers, the government plans to raise fines and introduce punitive penalties: those who knowingly distribute false or fabricated information online could face damages up to five times the losses incurred.

Faster Takedowns and AI-Powered Monitoring

Regulators will strengthen monitoring and speed up removal procedures, targeting 24-hour reviews and an emergency process to block harmful ads even before full deliberation is complete. The Food and Drug Safety Ministry and the Korea Consumer Agency will expand their monitoring capabilities and use AI tools to detect illicit advertising more efficiently.

Broader Harms Highlighted

The government also pointed to severe harms enabled by digital technology and AI. A Seoul court last month sentenced a 33-year-old man to life in prison for running an online blackmail ring that sexually exploited more than 200 victims, including minors, by threatening to release deepfakes and manipulated sexual images.

Balancing Regulation With AI Investment

At the same meeting, President Lee Jae-myung and other officials reiterated ambitions to accelerate AI innovation. Plans include increased R&D spending on AI-specific chips and advanced semiconductors and expanding chip manufacturing hubs beyond the Seoul metropolitan area. South Korean firms such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix together accounted for over 65% of the global memory chip market last year.

The science and telecommunications ministry also said it will require wireless carriers to transition to 5G standalone networks — which offer higher bandwidth and lower latency suited to advanced AI applications — as a condition for renewing 3G and LTE licenses.