OpenAI is making a major move into South Korea, hiring Kim Kyoung-hoon, the former head of Google Korea, to lead its first-ever office in the country. The appointment comes as the company behind ChatGPT sees a massive surge in demand for its technology in the region.
Kim will be the inaugural head of OpenAI Korea, a new office designed to support a major AI transformation in the country. OpenAI noted that the number of weekly active ChatGPT users in Korea has increased by more than fourfold over the past year, a clear indication of the country’s rapid adoption of AI.
In a statement, Kim said he hopes to combine Korea’s “strong capacity for innovation with OpenAI’s technology” to help make the country a global leader in AI. He also stressed the importance of working with the government and industry to establish “responsible AI practices.”
Kim is a well-known figure in the Korean tech scene. He led Google Korea from 2021 until earlier this year, where he was known for growing the company’s advertising business and supporting the local developer and startup community. Before that, he held other high-level positions at Google and worked at the consulting firm Bain & Company.
OpenAI’s head of international, Oliver Jay, said that Korea is “one of the fastest adopters of AI in the world,” and that Kim is the “right leader to seize this opportunity.”
