Despite the South Korean government’s complete ban on access to China’s generative artificial intelligence (AI) platform DeepSeek, new installations are reportedly still taking place.
According to Mobile Index by IGAWorks on Wednesday, even after the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) temporarily suspended DeepSeek’s service on February 15, new mobile installations in South Korea have not dropped to zero.
Previously, on February 15 at 6:00 PM, PIPC temporarily suspended DeepSeek’s service in South Korea, citing concerns over data leaks.
Since then, new downloads of the DeepSeek app have been blocked on all app markets available in South Korea, including Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store.
However, on February 16, the day after the restriction was implemented, 464 new app downloads occurred. On February 17, the day the official service suspension was announced, 308 new installations were recorded.
Despite an overall decline, new downloads ranged between 200 and 400 until the end of February.
As of March 1, the most recent data shows that 29 new downloads were recorded.
An industry official stated, “Downloading DeepSeek from South Korean app markets is impossible, but it is not entirely unfeasible if users employ various methods such as bypassing regional restrictions. No matter how much the government tries to block downloads, achieving a complete shutdown is difficult given the population’s high level of IT expertise.” Another industry expert added, “Not just DeepSeek, but many other apps not officially available in South Korea are also being downloaded through various means. In some cases, government restrictions may even fuel public interest in these apps.”