Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) claims they may suspend royalties or remove the work of artists falsely denying use of AI

The Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) has reportedly issued new guidelines for artists associated with it. A new press release shared on April 1 by MLex notes that KOMCA will not approve artist creations made with “AI technology.” The statement reads that the association will only register work when the artist warrants that they,

“did not utilize AI and were created solely by human creative contributions.”

Pop Base shared the news on its X channel and that artists reportedly have to “declare if AI was used in the creation of a song.” Additionally, if an artist makes a false claim, KOMCA can “suspend royalties” or even “remove the work.” The procedures are made to ensure that the artist’s creations are in line with South Korea’s “Copyright Act.”

Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA)’s decision will require artists to declare the use of AI

KOMCA protects, monitors, and manages music copyrights of global and independent artists of South Korea. Additionally, every year, the association grants full membership to artists who have been able to generate large royalties from their music. KOMCA’s new guidelines against the use of AI in creative work are in line with South Korea’s “Copyright Act,” which defines work as,

“a creative production that expresses human thoughts and emotions and an author as a person who creates a work.”

In its official statement, the Korea Music Copyright Association added that artists will have to “assume legal responsibility,”

“for all civil and criminal disputes arising from false reports, etc. If you refuse to agree, you can report the work, but the registration will be put on hold.”

According to the association, the new procedures were made effective from March 24, 2025. BLACKPINK fame, Rose is the second person after singer Seo Tai-Ji in the K-pop industry to withdraw from KOMCA. The “APT” singer’s work is distributed and managed by Atlantic Records. According to Naver, the Korea Music Copyright Association had previously stopped paying copyright fees to singer Hong Jin Young’s “24 Hours Of Love” and five songs by other artists in 2022 due to the use of AI.

With the developments in AI technology, online creators sometimes use them in their work. For instance, Kanye West had previously revealed using AI in his newest album, Bully. Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA)’s decision is made to encourage “human creative contributions.”

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