OpenAI launched its Korean subsidiary on Wednesday, marking its third office in Asia and 12th globally, as the creator of ChatGPT doubles down on its commitment to Korea as a future global hub for artificial intelligence innovation.
Speaking at a press briefing in Seoul, OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon highlighted the strategic importance of Korea’s unique technological ecosystem.
“Korea is a unique combination of cutting-edge infrastructure, innovative companies and early adopters, making it an ideal hub for AI innovation,” Kwon said.
Kwon also signaled growing opportunities for collaboration with major Korean industry players such as Samsung Electronics and SK Group.
“I think there are many ways to partner with OpenAI when it comes to building infrastructure at the data center construction level. When it comes to the hardware chip side. I think we have a lot of good partnership options with companies like SK and Samsung,” he said.
Korea is currently OpenAI’s second-largest market for paid ChatGPT subscriptions, following the US. The country has seen a fourfold year-on-year increase in weekly active users and the number of paid subscribers has tripled over the same period — making Korea OpenAI’s largest market in the Asia-Pacific region.
The establishment of OpenAI Korea follows the company’s strategic alliance with the local tech giant Kakao, announced in February. ChatGPT integration into Kakao’s ecosystem is currently underway.
To strengthen academic ties, OpenAI is also expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with Seoul National University on Thursday.
“Our goal is to become a true partner for Korea’s AI transformation,” said Kwon. He also revealed that he had met with then-presidential candidate Lee Jae Myung in May to discuss potential cooperation to accelerate Korea’s AI industry.
Kwon emphasized Korea’s “full-stack” capabilities in AI — from hardware and infrastructure to software and consumer adoption — suggesting that the country is well-positioned to achieve “AI sovereignty.”
“Given Korea’s strategic edge, we see strong potential for partnerships with the Korean government,” he said, noting that OpenAI is actively exploring investments in local data center infrastructure.
This includes follow-up discussions with key Korean CEOs during last month’s US-Korea business roundtable, held alongside the bilateral summit.
Since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, OpenAI has amassed over 700 million weekly active users worldwide. Korea also ranks among the global top 10 in API-based usage, reflecting the nation’s high engagement with AI technologies.
While speculation has swirled over who will lead OpenAI Korea, no formal announcement was made at Wednesday’s event. On the topic of local staffing and leadership, Kwon said, “You’ll hear more from us over the coming future on this.”
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