The move is part of the company’s broader international strategy, dubbed “OpenAI for Countries,” which aims to deepen partnerships and infrastructure investments worldwide.
Over the past year, OpenAI has opened offices in 11 cities, including London, Dublin, Brussels and Paris. Seoul will join Tokyo and Singapore as one of the company’s key hubs in Asia.
“We see Korea’s comprehensive AI ecosystem as one of the most promising in the world — from silicon to software, and from students to seniors,” Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s chief strategy officer, said in a statement. He emphasized the company’s commitment to supporting the development of “truly Korean AI.”
Kwon said the new office would help strengthen ties with South Korean policymakers, businesses, developers and researchers. He has met with officials from both the ruling People Power Party and the opposition Democratic Party to discuss the country's AI infrastructure agenda. Both parties have identified artificial intelligence as a priority ahead of the June 3 presidential election.
South Korea has emerged as a key market for OpenAI.
The company said the country ranks second globally in paid ChatGPT subscriptions, trailing only the United States. The number of weekly active users in South Korea has surged more than fourfold in the past year, placing it among the top 10 markets by user volume.
South Korean developers using OpenAI’s application programming interface (API) also rank among the top 10 globally. Corporate adoption of the company’s paid services places the country in the top five markets worldwide.
OpenAI has already forged partnerships with major South Korean firms, including tech giant Kakao, gaming company Krafton and telecom leader SK Telecom. It has also signed a financial cooperation agreement with the state-run Korea Development Bank.
Despite OpenAI’s growing presence in the country, the company offered few details about whether it plans to build local data centers.
Kwon said the firm has a “strong interest” in expanding AI infrastructure in South Korea, but declined to provide a timeline or scope for any future construction.
reporter
Kim Dong-young
davekim0807@ajupress.com
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