South Korea's ICT Regulatory Sandbox — Applications Fall From 110 (2024) to 33 (to July 2026) as AI Demand Rises

South Korea's ICT Regulatory Sandbox, run by the Ministry of Science and ICT since 2019, lets firms obtain provisional permits or pilot-demonstration exemptions to test technology that existing rules do not cover. By July 2022 a total of 146 projects had been approved, 103 had launched on the market and 57 had benefited from regulatory improvements (KoreaTechDesk, 26 July 2022).
Uptake is now falling. Edaily's September 2026 investigation reports ICT sandbox applications dropping from 110 in 2024 to 67 in 2025 and 33 through July 2026 (about 30% below the 47 filed in the same period of 2025). Designations fell from 51 in 2024 to 45 in 2025 and 8 through July 2026, even as AI-related demand grows: 11 of 12 new projects as of July 2026 were AI-related.
The article attributes this to slow, fragmented processing across six ministries and eight sectors, and to exemptions that expire before the underlying law is amended, leaving firms in 'temporary status'. Examples include an AI care-robot start-up in four months of preliminary consultation on whether its device is medical or welfare, and a telecom service approved only after more than a year of inter-ministry disagreement. The Prime Minister has announced plans for mandatory law revisions and a one-stop centre.
Evidence is mostly press-reported rather than independently evaluated, and AI-specific outcomes are not yet published; the case is valuable as a cautionary example of a sandbox that tests but does not convert results into law.

Read the full analysis: https://en.edaily.co.kr/news/eda202608265697/