OpenAI courts the Korean market, launches third Asian branch

Paid subscriber numbers tripled in one year

Expanding collaboration with domestic companies such as Kakao

OpenAI formalized the launch of 'OpenAI Korea', its third Asian branch, and announced expanded collaboration in Korea.

Jason Kwon, OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), said at a briefing on the 10th, "Korea is a global artificial intelligence (AI) hub with a 'full-stack ecosystem'" and outlined plans to "continue comprehensive cooperation among industry, government, and academia."

OpenAI is already strengthening cooperation with major domestic companies. In February it formed a strategic partnership with Kakao and is preparing to integrate ChatGPT into KakaoTalk and the Kakao ecosystem. CSO Kwon said, "We are developing customized AI solutions using OpenAI's application programming interface (API), and through long-term collaboration will create various features and services." In addition, OpenAI is collaborating with many Korean companies such as GS, LG Electronics, Toss, and Krafton, and is reportedly discussing the possibility of cooperation with Samsung and SK at the level of semiconductor and data center infrastructure.

Collaboration with academia will also ramp up. On the 11th it will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Seoul National University to promote AI research knowledge exchange and joint research. It also said it will strengthen cooperation with the government through the country-specific AI partnership program, the 'OpenAI for Countries' initiative, and has left open the possibility of establishing its own data center in Korea. CSO Kwon said, "Each time I come to Korea I meet political figures, and this time will be no exception."

Korea occupies a key position in OpenAI's global strategy. Weekly ChatGPT users in the country have increased about fourfold in one year. The number of paid subscribers has increased more than threefold year-on-year, reaching the highest level in the Asia-Pacific region. In particular, by API usage, Korea ranks in the world's top 10. This is why OpenAI sees Korea as a strategic hub for global expansion beyond a mere revenue market. It is also putting effort into supporting the startup and developer ecosystem. CSO Kwon said, "We will create an environment that makes OpenAI technology as easy to use as possible."

Reporter Lee Young-ae 0ae@hankyung.com