Korea68.8% of Korean AI users turn to it for emotional support, and the government has issued mental health guidelines

South Korea's health ministry and the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association released guidelines on October 8 for using generative AI for mental health, timed for Mental Health Day on October 10. They advise against relying too heavily on AI or treating its answers as a medical diagnosis.

In a survey of 1,019 people who had used generative AI in the past month, 68.8% said they also use it for emotional purposes such as everyday conversation or counseling. Among 15- to 18-year-olds the figure was 69.2%, and 16.3% said they had found it hard to stop a conversation with AI.