Seoul— Jason Kwon, Chief Strategy Officer at OpenAI, is set to visit South Korea on Thursday for the second time in just over two weeks, as the company explores deeper collaborations in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, according to industry sources.
Kwon’s return visit follows the recent inauguration of President Lee Jae-myung, who has pledged to transform South Korea into one of the world’s top three AI powerhouses through a national investment initiative worth 100 trillion won (approximately $73 billion).
During his prior visit on May 26, Kwon announced that OpenAI had established a Korean subsidiary and plans to open a Seoul office in the coming months. The Seoul branch will be OpenAI’s third in Asia, following existing locations in Tokyo and Singapore.
“South Korea is a critical partner for us due to its high engagement with our services and strong potential for collaboration with local companies,” an OpenAI spokesperson said.
South Korea currently ranks among the top 10 countries globally for ChatGPT usage and developer activity on OpenAI’s platforms. Notably, it has the second-highest number of paid ChatGPT subscribers after the United States.
Even before officially entering the Korean market, OpenAI has been working with major South Korean companies such as internet giant Kakao Corp., gaming company Krafton Inc., and telecom provider SK Telecom Co. on AI research, development, and infrastructure projects. Kakao is expected to unveil the results of its joint initiative with OpenAI later this year.
As part of its broader global expansion, OpenAI has opened 11 offices in major cities including Paris, Brussels, London, Dublin, and Singapore.
Kwon confirmed last month that the Seoul office will be OpenAI’s next international location, reinforcing the company’s commitment to deepening ties in the region. (Source: IANS)
