AI and Digital Market Regulations: New Legal Perspectives for Businesses

In a strategic move to address the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape of the tech sector, Shin & Kim (법무법인 세종) has announced the launch of its “AI·Digital Competition Law Team.” This initiative marks the first time a major South Korean law firm has established a specialized unit dedicated exclusively to the intersection of antitrust regulations and the artificial intelligence (AI) and digital industries.

The announcement, made on April 7, 2026, comes as global regulatory bodies shift their approach toward the digital economy. While many legal institutions have created general AI centers to handle a broad array of technological issues, Shin & Kim is pivoting toward a specialized focus on AI and digital competition law. The firm aims to provide deep-dive analysis and proactive risk management for companies navigating the complexities of market dominance and fair competition in an era of generative AI and cloud computing.

Led by veteran attorney Chang-hoon Lee, the new team is designed to act as a shield and a strategist for firms facing the scrutiny of competition authorities. By analyzing the digital ecosystem through a strictly competitive lens, the team will address how the concentration of computing power and data could potentially stifle innovation or create unfair market advantages.

A Specialized Approach to Digital Antitrust

The distinction between a general AI legal center and a dedicated competition law team is significant. While general centers may focus on intellectual property, data privacy, or contract law, the AI·Digital Competition Law Team focuses on how AI technologies affect market structures. According to a statement from the firm, this specialized organization is intended to respond preemptively to competition law issues that are becoming increasingly critical in the AI and digital industrial environment reported by Money Today.

The firm identifies several high-risk areas where competition law is likely to be applied with new rigor. These include the core infrastructure of the AI era—specifically AI semiconductors and cloud computing—where the control of hardware and hosting services can create significant barriers to entry for smaller competitors.

Beyond hardware, the team will focus on the “concentration of training data and computing resources.” In the current AI race, the entities that possess the largest datasets and the most powerful GPUs often hold a disproportionate amount of market power. Shin & Kim intends to provide counsel on how this concentration is viewed by regulators and how companies can mitigate the risk of being accused of monopolistic behavior.

Targeting Complex Ecosystem Risks

The scope of the team’s advisory services extends to the strategic integration of services and the expansion of digital ecosystems. Key areas of focus include:

• Platform-AI Integration: Analyzing the competition risks when giant digital platforms integrate AI services into their existing ecosystems, potentially leveraging their dominance in one market to capture another.
• Deployment Exclusivity: Addressing the legality and competitive impact of exclusivity agreements during the deployment and distribution of AI models.
• Strategic Alliances: Managing the antitrust risks associated with strategic investments and partnerships aimed at ecosystem expansion.

This comprehensive approach reflects a growing trend where regulators no longer view digital services in isolation but as part of an interconnected ecosystem where a single advantage in one layer (like cloud infrastructure) can lead to dominance in another (like AI application services).

Leadership and Professional Expertise

The AI·Digital Competition Law Team is headed by Chang-hoon Lee, an attorney with over 20 years of experience handling major domestic and international competition cases. Lee, a member of the 33rd class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, is recognized for his strategic approach to complex antitrust disputes.

Lee’s expertise is bolstered by his extensive involvement in both the legal practice and academic circles. He currently serves in several influential roles, including:

• Planning Director of the Korean Competition Law Association
• External Cooperation Director of the Platform Law Policy Association
• Operating Committee Member of the Seoul National University Competition Law Center
• Director of the Korea Competition Forum

This blend of practical litigation experience and academic leadership positions Lee to interpret not only the current laws but as well the shifting theoretical frameworks that competition authorities are adopting to regulate the digital economy.

The Shifting Paradigm of Market Regulation

The launch of this team is a response to a fundamental change in how regulators view the tech industry. In a statement regarding the launch, Chang-hoon Lee emphasized that domestic and international competition authorities are now approaching AI and digital market regulation with “new perspectives and standards” that differ from traditional competition laws via Law Times.

Traditional antitrust law often focused on price-fixing or consumer harm measured by price increases. Though, in the digital and AI sectors, services are often “free” to the consumer, but the harm manifests as reduced innovation, data privacy erosion, or “killer acquisitions” where large firms buy tiny startups to eliminate future competition. Lee argues that because of this shift, companies must examine competition law issues from the very beginning of their business strategy formulation rather than treating legal review as a final step.

Key Takeaways for Tech Enterprises

• Proactive Compliance: Business strategies in the AI space must now be vetted for antitrust risks during the planning phase, not just after implementation.
• Infrastructure Scrutiny: Companies controlling AI semiconductors or cloud resources are under increased scrutiny regarding market access.
• Ecosystem Awareness: The combination of a dominant platform with a new AI service is a primary trigger for regulatory investigation.
• Data Governance: The concentration of training data is now viewed as a competitive asset that can lead to antitrust challenges.

Strategic Implications for the Global Market

For global companies operating in South Korea, the establishment of such a specialized team at a firm like Shin & Kim suggests a more sophisticated legal environment. As South Korea continues to be a hub for semiconductor manufacturing and digital platform innovation, the rigor with which competition law is applied will likely mirror trends seen in the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) and similar efforts in the United States.

By creating a specialized unit, Shin & Kim is signaling that the “AI boom” has entered a phase of maturity where the focus is shifting from purely technical development to the legal and regulatory frameworks that will govern the winners of the AI race via Shin & Kim official announcement.

As the AI·Digital Competition Law Team begins its operations, the legal community and tech industry will be watching closely to see how these “new perspectives” on regulation are applied to real-world cases, particularly concerning the interplay between AI model providers and the infrastructure giants that power them.

The next major milestone for the industry will be the continued rollout of AI-specific regulatory guidelines from domestic competition authorities, which will likely define the boundaries of “fair competition” in the age of artificial intelligence.

Do you believe current antitrust laws are equipped to handle the speed of AI development, or is a entirely new legal framework required? Share your thoughts in the comments below.