The Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) announced Monday that creators may now register songs developed with artificial intelligence, provided they played a substantial and leading role in writing lyrics, composing, or arranging the work. Works generated entirely by AI through simple text prompts remain ineligible for registration.

The decision reverses KOMCA's earlier policy, under which the organization had declined to register AI-assisted works due to concerns over potential copyright disputes and the absence of clear evaluation standards.

"The purpose of the revision is to formally recognize AI-assisted creative practices while safeguarding the rights of human creators," KOMCA said in a statement.

Under the new policy, applicants are required to identify the AI tools they used, explain how those tools were incorporated into the creative process, and certify the accuracy of the information provided. Where additional verification is necessary, KOMCA may request supporting materials such as digital audio workstation (DAW) project files, editing histories, sheet music, prompt records, and AI generation logs to assess the degree of human authorship.

In practice, producers may use AI to generate ideas, melodies, or arrangements, but they must be able to demonstrate that the key creative decisions were made by a human.

Works later found to have been created entirely by AI or registered on the basis of false information could result in suspended royalty payments, mandatory repayment of improperly received royalties, and termination of trust agreements. KOMCA also plans to introduce contractual penalties of up to three times the amount of any improperly received royalties in cases involving intentional misconduct or gross negligence.

The association described the policy as Korea's first codified standard for registering AI-assisted music, integrating such works into the country's existing copyright framework. The move carries particular significance given South Korea's standing as one of the world's largest recorded music markets, with K-pop driving substantial domestic and international royalty flows through KOMCA's collection system.

KOMCA's human-authorship threshold aligns with the direction taken by other major copyright jurisdictions. The United States Copyright Office has repeatedly affirmed that copyright protection requires human authorship, and its March 2023 guidance stated that works containing AI-generated material could be registered only where a human's own creative contributions are sufficient to support a claim. The United Kingdom has protected computer-generated works since 1988 under a provision granting authorship to the person who made the arrangements necessary for creation, though policymakers continue to debate whether that framework remains adequate for current AI tools.

South Korea's move comes amid broader efforts across the global music industry to establish standards for AI-generated content. On July 30, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) introduced principles governing the eligibility of AI-assisted recordings for inclusion in its network of official charts. Under that framework, recordings must use authorized AI services, be substantially human-made, and raise no concerns over streaming or chart manipulation.

The push for clearer guidelines follows the growing presence of AI-created songs on streaming platforms and social media, where some tracks have fueled viral dance challenges and climbed music charts. Tracks such as "GG EZ" by Japanese AI creator M.Sasuke, along with "10count" and "Love Nebula" by AI artist Rym, have spread widely online, intensifying debate over AI's expanding role in music production.