South Korea’s KOMCA Reverses Ban on AI-Assisted Music Registrations

The Korean Music Copyright Association (KOMCA), South Korea’s largest music copyright collective, has reversed a 2025 policy stipulating that AI-assisted works could not be registered with the society.

Why:

• In March 2026, South Korea’s Board of Audit and Inspection sampled 8,540 songs that 29 writers had entrusted to KOMCA throughout 2024 and found that 5,200 were likely composed with the help of AI.

• The audit examined 11 Korean copyright trust bodies and found they were registering works and paying royalties without separately checking for AI involvement.

• KOMCA argued there is no reliable way to detect AI use in music, and said the ban depended on creators self-reporting AI involvement – a system the audit showed was ineffective.

The new policy:

• Works created with the help of AI, but not generated entirely by a machine, will now be registered by KOMCA and eligible to earn royalties.

• The works must not be generated from an AI prompt alone, with the human making a “substantial and leading” contribution to melody, lyrics, structure or arrangement.

• Applicants must also disclose which AI tools they used and what parts of the work involved AI.

• KOMCA advises that applicants who disclose AI assistance should “retain materials that can verify the creative process and revision history.”

• False reporting could be met with punishments including, but not limited to, suspension of royalty payments and the recovery of improperly paid amounts.

• The amended rules came into effect on Monday, August 3.