OpenAI, the U.S. artificial intelligence firm behind ChatGPT, said on May 26 it had established a legal entity in South Korea and plans to open a Seoul office in the coming months, marking its official entry into the country.
Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s Chief Strategy Officer, told reporters in Seoul that Korea will become the company’s third hub in Asia after Tokyo and Singapore. The Seoul office will join OpenAI’s global footprint, which includes 11 locations such as London, Paris and its San Francisco headquarters.
“South Korea has a unique AI ecosystem that spans from semiconductors to software,” Kwon said. “It’s also a country where people across all generations are actively integrating AI into their daily lives.”
South Korea ranks second globally, after the United States, in terms of paid ChatGPT subscriptions, according to OpenAI.
Kwon said the company aims to deepen cooperation with local policymakers, developers and businesses, and to support the development of a distinctly “Korean-style AI” that broadens the societal benefits of the technology.
Ahead of the official launch, OpenAI has already partnered with several major Korean firms. It recently announced a financial collaboration with Korea Development Bank (KDB) to support data center development and startup incubation, and has signed AI partnerships with Kakao, Krafton and SK Telecom.
OpenAI is also rolling out its OpenAI for Countries program, which aims to build AI infrastructure such as data centers in key markets. Kwon said the company is exploring partnerships with the Korean government and corporations, similar to a deal it recently signed with the UAE’s state-backed AI firm G42 to build a large-scale data center in Abu Dhabi.
Kwon also met on May 26 with AI policy officials from both of South Korea’s main political parties—the People Power Party and the Democratic Party—to discuss collaboration on national AI infrastructure.
