OpenAI, the influential company behind ChatGPT, is significantly expanding its global operations with the establishment of a legal entity in South Korea, a nation recognized for its high ChatGPT adoption and advanced technological landscape. Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s Chief Strategy Officer, made the announcement in Seoul on May 26, positioning South Korea as a pivotal base in the company’s worldwide artificial intelligence strategy.
This strategic move is a key part of OpenAI’s “OpenAI for Countries” initiative, a global program aimed at strengthening AI infrastructure and making its technologies more accessible.
As someone whose family’s story is deeply tied to Korea, it was especially meaningful to announce today that we’ll soon open an OpenAI office in Seoul.
ChatGPT’s growth here has been off the charts—weekly users grew over 4.5x last year, and Korea is now our top country for paid…
— Jason Kwon (@jasonkwon) May 26, 2025
The new South Korean subsidiary underscores OpenAI’s commitment to forging deeper ties within one of the world’s most technologically sophisticated countries. For users, developers, and businesses, this expansion promises enhanced access to OpenAI’s leading-edge AI models and tools. The company intends to open an office in Seoul in the upcoming months and is actively recruiting staff to foster collaborations with local enterprises and policymakers. Following Japan and Singapore, Korea becomes the third Asian nation to host an OpenAI office.
This international push is closely tied to OpenAI’s ambitious Stargate Project, a venture backed by significant investment from partners like SoftBank, aiming to construct new AI data centers, initially in the United States. The “OpenAI for Countries” initiative, as highlighted in our report on the recently announced UAE Stargate project, extends this infrastructure development vision to a global scale. The Stargate Project’s U.S. focus is also seen as aimed at curbing China’s rise in AI.
Tapping Korea’s Vibrant AI Ecosystem
OpenAI’s CSO, Jason Kwon, highlighted the strategic importance of the South Korean market, stating, “Korea’s full-stake AI ecosystem makes it one of the most promising markets in the world for meaningful AI impact, from silicon to software, and students to seniors.”
He further elaborated on the company’s collaborative goals, explaining that OpenAI aims to work with “developers, researchers, enterprises and policymakers to ensure AI’s benefits are widely and responsibly shared.” This cooperative spirit was evident when Kwon, discussing potential involvement in Korea’s national AI computing center, noted, “We’re here to collaborate, not dictate terms.”
The company has already cultivated relationships within South Korea, partnering with major tech players such as mobile platform leader Kakao Corp., game developer Krafton Inc., and top mobile carrier SK Telecom Co..
An initial agreement with the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) was signed in November 2024 to bolster the nation’s AI ecosystem. Earlier in 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s visit to Seoul included meetings with leaders from Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc., and the formalization of strategic partnerships, notably with Kakao.
Kakao intends to integrate OpenAI’s advanced API into its flagship services, including the KakaoTalk messenger and its Kanana conversational AI agent.
The adoption rate of OpenAI’s products in Korea is remarkable. The nation holds the second-highest number of paid ChatGPT subscribers globally. Weekly active users have increased more than 4.5 times in the past year, positioning Korea among the top 10 markets worldwide by user base.
Moreover, it ranks in the global top 10 for developers using OpenAI’s API platform and is in the top five for paid enterprise users. Kwon lauded this strong uptake, remarking that “From students to seniors, Koreans are actively using AI in daily life. Korea is clearly one of the world’s leading AI adopters.”
The new Seoul office will initially concentrate on building relationships with local AI developers and startups, offering early access to new models and tools, alongside workshops to promote AI literacy.
Global Infrastructure and Strategic Partnerships
While OpenAI has not announced immediate plans for a local data center in Korea, Kwon acknowledged the keen interest in such infrastructure. He explained that OpenAI is “exploring partnerships with infrastructure providers like Oracle and Microsoft to ensure data residency where needed.”
This approach aligns with OpenAI’s broader global infrastructure strategy, which includes a recently unveiled 5 GW data center cluster in Abu Dhabi under the Stargate project.
The company continues to make substantial investments in computational resources, exemplified by its expanded multi-billion dollar agreements with CoreWeave, to secure the immense processing power required for its sophisticated AI models. Analysts, as reported by Bloomberg, suggest this move into South Korea could also be a strategic effort to leverage the country’s robust semiconductor industry for future AI chip development and to effectively compete with local LLM providers.
Dr. Min-jun Kim, a senior researcher at the Seoul AI Institute, told Bloomberg, “Korea’s prowess in hardware and its vibrant software ecosystem make it an ideal testbed and launchpad for OpenAI’s next-generation AI services.”
Kwon’s visit to Korea is part of a broader Asian tour, encompassing meetings with government officials and potential industry partners in Japan, Australia, India, and Singapore. These discussions will focus on AI infrastructure development and software deployment strategies, further highlighting the global scope of the “OpenAI for Countries” initiative.
Advancing AI Amidst a Competitive Landscape
OpenAI’s expansion into markets like South Korea unfolds as the company consistently refines its powerful AI tools and navigates a fiercely competitive environment. Recent product advancements include the launch of Codex, an advanced AI coding agent integrated into ChatGPT.
Looking ahead, OpenAI is currently developing its GPT-5 model to unify its diverse suite of tools, including the ‘Operator’ agent and Deep Research features, for a more streamlined user experience.
This global strategy is vital as competitors like Google, which is deeply embedding its Gemini AI across its entire product suite, and Anthropic, with its highly capable new Claude 4 models, continue to innovate rapidly.
OpenAI’s approach involves not only pushing the boundaries of its foundational models but also ensuring their accessibility and adaptability to local market needs through initiatives such as the new Korean subsidiary. The company is also exploring new frontiers by venturing into AI-first hardware with designer Jony Ive and consistently enhancing its API offerings for developers worldwide.
