AI-generated song cracks Korean charts, exposing regulatory gap in music copyright

In May, YouTube creator Joseon HipHop released "Forest of the Heart," a track generated with the Suno AI platform that climbed to No. 89 on Melon's Top 100 and No. 99 on its daily chart, showing that AI-driven songs can reach mainstream Korean listeners. KOMCOM responded in August with provisional rules allowing registration of AI-assisted works that contain human contributions, but the guidelines were rescinded within weeks after pushback and a ministry-issued call for public debate, leaving creators without clear guidance.

Under current law, AI output lacking human creativity is not copyrightable, so Joseon HipHop receives only neighboring-rights compensation. KOMCA and five other industry bodies are finalising an AI-music detection provider, yet existing tools struggle with partially AI-generated tracks. Experts such as Lee Jong-pil of Neutune warn that the surge of AI music could distort the distribution system and urge a proactive, ecosystem-wide regulatory approach. The episode mirrors stricter authorship standards in the U.S., Canada, Germany and the Netherlands, while legal battles over AI training data continue globally.