[OpenAI Officially Announces Entry into Korea: Why Altman Chose Korea]

 OpenAI has officially announced the launch of its Korean branch, OpenAI Korea. As the company’s twelfth office worldwide and third in Asia, the new entity aims to build a collaborative framework that bridges industry and academia, while driving a major shift and broader adoption of AI with Korea as a key hub. OpenAI explained that its decision to expand into Korea was based on the country’s world-class infrastructure, outstanding talent and companies, rapid digital adoption, and technology-friendly environment.

 This assessment is supported by data. ChatGPT’s weekly active users (WAU) have surpassed 700 million globally, While in Korea, WAU has increased fourfold compared to the previous year. Paid subscriptions have more than tripled, making Korea the largest market in the Asia-Pacific region, and API usage ranks within the global top ten. These figures highlight Korea’s growing importance in the global AI ecosystem.

 OpenAI is also strengthening this momentum through partnerships and ecosystem expansion. It has formed a strategic alliance with Kakao to enhance service integration, while major companies such as Samsung Electronics are adopting ChatGPT to boost productivity. The company has also signed a research MOU with University in KOREA, and continues to organize networking events such as developer workshops, the upcoming Founders Day on September 12, and a technology-sharing session scheduled for November. Furthermore, OpenAI has expressed interest in establishing a data center in Korea, indicating that while the timeline and scale remain undecided, the move could depend on regulatory conditions and corporate investment opportunities.

Source : "한국 진출 본격 선언한 오픈AI…올트먼이 한국을 선택한 이유", MAEIL BUSINESS NEWSPAPER, 2025.09.11.