OpenAI Establishes Korean Corporation... "Leading AI Nation, Second Only to US in ChatGPT Usage
Key Points
- 1OpenAI announced plans to establish its first Korean legal entity and office in Seoul within months, initiating key staff recruitment for its expansion.
- 2This strategic move targets Korea, a significant market highlighted for its high ChatGPT usage, paid subscribers, and active AI adoption, alongside existing partnerships with major local companies.
- 3OpenAI aims to strengthen collaborations with Korean policymakers, businesses, and researchers to foster "Korean-style AI" development and ensure widespread, responsible AI benefits across the nation's "full-stack" AI ecosystem.
OpenAI is set to establish a Korean subsidiary and open its first office in Seoul within the next few months, initiating recruitment for core personnel to foster collaboration with key stakeholders. This strategic move is attributed to Korea's significant engagement with OpenAI's technologies and its robust AI ecosystem. Specifically, Korea is noted as the country with the second-highest number of paid ChatGPT subscribers globally, following the United States, and ranks among the top 10 nations by overall ChatGPT user count. The country is recognized as one of the most active in AI adoption worldwide, evidenced by a 4.5-fold increase in ChatGPT Weekly Active Users (WAU) over the past year. Furthermore, Korea is among the top 10 countries for developers utilizing the OpenAI API platform and ranks among the top 5 for paid business users.
The core strategic approach behind OpenAI's expansion into Korea centers on leveraging the country's existing "full-stack" AI ecosystem, which encompasses everything from semiconductors to software, and its broad AI adoption across various demographics. The company's methodology involves deepening existing relationships and forging new ones to foster a more localized and impactful AI development. Prior to this official market entry, several Korean enterprises and institutions, including Kakao, Krafton, Korea Development Bank (KDB), and SK Telecom, have already been utilizing OpenAI's technologies to address complex challenges, enhance productivity, and drive innovation.
Upon establishing its presence, OpenAI aims to support partnerships across general users, businesses, developers, and government entities, facilitating the full realization of AI's potential and benefits. A key objective is to strengthen cooperation with Korean policymakers, enterprises, developers, and researchers to actively promote the development of "Korean-style AI" (한국형 AI) and ensure the widespread and responsible sharing of AI benefits.
Jason Kwon, OpenAI's Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), emphasized Korea's unique blend of innovation, technology, and creativity, describing it as an AI-leading nation where AI is a daily part of life for all generations. He underscored the commitment to providing tangible and meaningful AI benefits that can be directly experienced by everyone in Korea. Jeong Shin-a, CEO of Kakao, lauded OpenAI's decision, highlighting its significance for the growth of Korea's AI ecosystem and the potential for daily innovation. She expressed anticipation for strengthening their partnership to accelerate the dissemination of cutting-edge AI technology and services, aiming to combine the strengths of both companies to deliver widespread AI innovation benefits to Korean users.
In parallel with the announcement, Jason Kwon was in Seoul to discuss investment plans for the Asian region and potential collaboration with the current Korean government, meeting with political figures from both major parties, including Im Mun-yeong, Digital Special Committee Chair of the Democratic Party's election committee, and Choi Hyung-doo, National Assembly member and head of the People Power Party's AI Science Policy Headquarters.