DeepSeek removed from South Korea app stores pending privacy review

JOHANNESBURG: Chinese AI app DeepSeek will not be available to download in South Korea pending a review of its handling of user data, Seoul authorities said Monday.

DeepSeek’s R1 chatbot stunned investors and industry insiders with its ability to match the functions of its Western competitors at a fraction of the cost.

But a number of countries have questioned DeepSeek’s storage of user data, which the firm says is collected in “secure servers located in the People’s Republic of China”.