Science Minister Lee Jong-ho has stressed the need to create regulations to criminalize deepfake images and to make it mandatory to mark those images as products of artificial intelligence (AI).

Appearing on a KBS TV program on Sunday, Lee said that the government is producing measures to deal with crimes using AI and supporting the development of the technology to put a watermark on AI-generated images.

Minister Lee also noted the need to secure the technology to detect deepfakes and to legislate the punishment of those who use deepfake images for criminal purposes.

Regarding the AI Safety Summit set for May in South Korea, the minister said that AI is not restricted to one country and is connected to countries worldwide, thus requiring global cooperation. He added that the summit will be a venue for discussing the roles of businesses and countries in AI safety.

Lee added that the summit may also discuss creating an international organization for AI or measures to provide support for countries in need of AI.

In addition, the minister said that preparations to launch the Korea AeroSpace Administration on May 27 are proceeding smoothly.