South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT on Thursday held an opening ceremony for an "AI Basic Act support desk" at the Korea AI Software Industry Association.

The AI Basic Act support desk is an organisation designed to address industry difficulties related to the AI Basic Act, which took effect the same day. Specialist personnel from professional institutions in legal and institutional systems and technology will participate to provide accurate and swift consultations and guidance.

Consultations are, in principle, confidential. For general inquiries, the desk aims to reply within 72 hours on business days. For complex cases or those requiring legal review, it plans to reply within 14 days.

The ministry also plans to produce and distribute to companies a Q&A casebook focused on major questions received by the desk. In cooperation with the startup industry, it will also hold region-by-region briefings on the AI Basic Act by visiting sites.

Those attending the opening ceremony included Ryu Je-myung (류제명), the ministry's second vice minister, Cho Jun-hee (조준희), chairman of KOSA, Son Seung-hyun (손승현), chairman of the Korea Information and Communication Technology Association, and Kim Myung-joo (김명주), head of the AI Safety Institute, along with other desk officials. Participants held an unveiling ceremony for the signboard and checked the desk's operating status.

Ryu, the second vice minister, said, "The AI Basic Act is key to developing our country's AI industry and realising a basic AI society," and added, "The support desk will serve as a reliable guide for the industry so that the law can take root well in the field."