The DeepSeek smartphone app page is displayed on a smartphone screen in Beijing, Jan. 28. AP-Yonhap

A growing number of Korean government ministries have begun blocking officials from accessing DeepSeek, a Chinese open-source language model that has raised concerns about excessive user data collection and the potential for information leaks.

The ministries responsible for particularly sensitive information, such as the foreign and defense ministries, were quick to implement the restriction.

Korea joins several other countries that have been prohibiting government access to DeepSeek. These restrictions range from outright bans on government devices and systems to warnings and guidelines against its use, often stemming from fears about data collection and transmission to China.

Following the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's guidelines issued Tuesday, which advised ministries and 17 metropolitan local governments to exercise caution in using generative artificial intelligence (AI), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy blocked access to DeepSeek the next day. While the guidelines did not specifically mention the name of the Chinese AI program, they are widely interpreted as targeting the platform.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Environment and the Korean National Police Agency joined the move to block access.

"Due to security concerns surrounding DeepSeek, including the potential for personal information leaks, we have blocked access to the DeepSeek domain on official police computers starting at 7 a.m. Thursday, until its security is verified," the police agency said.

An official at the Ministry of Environment noted that DeepSeek's data collection system is understood to differ from that of ChatGPT, thus it was blocked "as a precaution to prevent information leaks."

The Ministry of Unification, along with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, also plans to block access to the Chinese AI tool soon, citing "multiple technical concerns raised both domestically and internationally."

"The finance ministry is reviewing measures to block access to DeepSeek on PCs that can connect to external networks," an official at the finance ministry said earlier in the day.

The presidential office has not blocked access to DeepSeek, but explained that external programs were never accessible to begin with.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly has not yet restricted access to DeepSeek. Computers used in the National Assembly operate on separate networks — one internal and another external — and the external network can still access AI sites like DeepSeek.

DeepSeek has raised security concerns in several countries due to allegations that it collects and stores user device information, IP addresses and even keyboard input patterns on servers in China during the AI learning process. As a result, Australia, Japan, Taiwan and the U.S. state of Texas have banned its use on government-owned devices. Italy also blocked downloads of DeepSeek from Apple and Google app stores at the end of last month.

On Jan. 31, Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission sent an inquiry to DeepSeek's headquarters in China, requesting details on data collection, processing and storage methods. However, the Chinese AI company has not yet provided a response.