South Korean Publishing Industry Introduces AI Guidelines to Address ‘Click-to-Publish’ Books

South Korea’s publishing industry has introduced its first set of voluntary guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence in book publishing. Developed by 11 organizations, the principles emphasize human responsibility, transparency around AI use, consent and compensation for copyrighted training data, and clearer protections for authors, translators and publishers. The Korea Times
on Oct 01, 2026

A set of principles regarding the use of AI in publishing has been published by South Korea's publishing industry following concerns about an increase in the number of books that have been created without much involvement of humans through generative AI technology.

Korea Publisher Society released the Principles for the Use of AI by Publishers and Authors for Readers at a publishing and AI policy forum that took place at Mapo Central Library, Seoul. The Principles document comprises five chapters and twenty articles and has been drafted with the involvement of eleven organizations, including Writers Association of Korea and Critics Alliance.

This is the first time the publishing industry has come up with a principle for AI in South Korea. The principles tackle issues like detecting the use of AI in producing books, the use of copyrighted content in AI training data, and publishing contracts.

The main idea is that people will still be responsible for book creation and publication, and the AI will be regarded as a tool rather than an author. The rules state that the publishers have to inform the readers of the use of AI in their books.
It also mentions that rights holders should give permission to use their works in the AI learning process and be rewarded for that.

These recommendations are not obligatory but according to the Korea Publisher Society they can become the basis for further reforms in this field.

Practical issues were also pointed out by the industry representatives. Book sellers urged for the creation of clear processes for handling issues involving disclosure in connection with the restrictions imposed on distribution due to the use of AI. As for translators, they were concerned about the need to protect translation copyrights and responsibilities related to the use of AI in translations.

According to the Korea Publisher Society, the guidelines do not mean rejection of the use of AI-generated content but rather reflect the need to create increased transparency in connection with its use in the publishing industry.

The guidelines will be used as a basis for discussion by the organization of further possible changes in the legislation on publishing and copyright in South Korea.