Defense ministry to devise security measures for smartphones used by soldiers amid DeepSeek concerns

▲ Defense ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyou (Yonhap)

defense ministry-DeepSeek

Defense ministry to devise security measures for smartphones used by soldiers amid DeepSeek concerns

By Chae Yun-hwan

SEOUL, Feb. 6 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry said Thursday it will come up with further security measures for smartphones used by soldiers in response to security concerns sparked by the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek.

The move comes a day after the ministry blocked access to the Chinese AI service on its computers due to concerns over its data management practices.

"Necessary security measures are in place for mobile phones used by troops and further security measures will be devised going forward," ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyou said in a briefing when asked about the possible use of DeepSeek's app on troop phones.

On Tuesday, the interior ministry asked central government ministries and 17 local governments to be cautious about using generative AIs, such as DeepSeek. Multiple ministries have since blocked access to the AI service.

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved