Nam Seok, Director of the Investigation and Coordination Bureau at the Personal Information Protection Commission, speaks during a briefing in Seoul, Feb. 7. Yonhap

Korea's data protection regulator on Friday advised caution when using Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek's service, citing ongoing security concerns.

The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) issued the advisory after multiple Korean government ministries blocked internal access to the AI service this week amid concerns over the startup's data management practices.

"Considering the continued security concerns posed during the use of DeepSeek's service, (we) advise using it with caution," the PIPC said in a briefing.

The data protection body said it is conducting an analysis over the data being sent when using the service, and plans to come up with measures to ensure use of the service without personal data concerns.

The advisory came after the PIPC sent an inquiry to the Chinese startup late last month for detailed information on its personal data collection policy.

The PIPC said it made the inquiry through multiple channels, adding that it is cooperating with other data protection bodies around the world, including Britain's Information Commissioner's Office, over the issue.

It said that it also plans to request cooperation from the Chinese side over the matter through official diplomatic channels. (Yonhap)