South Korea Ranks Second in Paid ChatGPT Users as OpenAI Expands in Seoul

A Subscription Surge Puts South Korea Behind Only the US

South Korea is the world's second largest market for paid ChatGPT subscriptions, behind only the United States, according to OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon. The announcement at a press event in Seoul coincided with the opening of the company's Seoul office, its third major base in Asia after Tokyo and Singapore.

As of June 10, 2025, the ranking sits alongside several other measures of growing Korean demand. Kwon said South Korea is among the top five countries for ChatGPT business users and ranks in the global top ten for both total usage and developer activity on OpenAI's application programming interface, or API.

An API lets developers connect their own software to OpenAI's models. Its use represents another way people engage with the technology, beyond opening ChatGPT to ask a question or paying for a subscription.

OpenAI also said weekly active users in South Korea had grown 4.5 times over the past year. Sandy Kunvatanagarn, the company's Asia-Pacific policy head, described the increase:

off the charts

A rise to 4.5 times the earlier level means that, for every two weekly users a year ago, there were now nine. Weekly active users are people who use a service during a week, a different measure from the number who pay for it.

South Korea's position combines strong consumer interest, business use and developer activity. The new office gives OpenAI a local base as it works with Korean technology companies to bring its tools into more services.

What the Paid Subscription Ranking Measures

OpenAI's subscription ranking describes South Korea's place among markets for its paid ChatGPT service. Understanding the size of that market also requires the actual number of subscribers and the distance between countries in the ranking.

Kang Jung-soo, director of the BludotAI Research Center, explained why the numerical position needs that context:

Paid subscribers are just one piece of the story. You can be second in the world with only a small margin. It doesn't mean you have a dominant or mature market.

The global total of paying ChatGPT subscribers was around 20 million as of April 2025. OpenAI has not released exact subscriber figures by country, leaving South Korea's share, its lead over other markets and the durability of its position unclear.

Paid subscriptions are one part of AI engagement. The broader picture also includes people using the app, companies adopting the service and developers building software with OpenAI's models. South Korea ranks highly across several of these categories, although each measures a different activity.

Millions of Koreans Are Using the Mobile App

WiseApp, a Seoul based analytics firm, counted 17.4 million Korean users of the ChatGPT mobile app in April 2025, equivalent to more than a third of the population. IGAWorks put ChatGPT's Korean user base at 12.5 million that month in its own figures.

The mobile app figure describes a much wider group than paid subscribers. Someone can use ChatGPT without belonging to the group counted in the paid subscription ranking, so the figures answer different questions about its reach.

South Korea's near universal broadband access gives people widespread access to online services. Gallup Korea reported smartphone penetration above 95% in 2023, placing a device capable of accessing tools such as ChatGPT within reach of most people.

Those conditions help explain how a new digital service can quickly attract millions of users. Broadband provides the connection, while smartphones make the service available throughout daily life.

Access and Urban Concentration Help Tools Spread

Korean users gained relatively early access to the latest AI models, giving them an early advantage in experimenting with the technology and bringing it into daily routines. Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT produce responses to requests, making experimentation possible through an ordinary conversation with the software.

Other developed markets have faced different conditions. In many parts of Europe, strict data protection laws and digital service regulations have delayed access to AI tools. South Korea's combination of connectivity and relatively early availability helped users begin trying newer models sooner.

Choi Byung-ho, a professor at Korea University's AI Research Institute, linked rapid adoption to the country's pace of life and the concentration of its population:

This is a society that moves fast. Half the population lives in one metropolitan region. News, trends, apps ... they spread overnight. AI tools don't feel abstract here. They feel immediate.

Choi's explanation connects the spread of AI tools to familiar patterns in Korean society. When people, news and digital services are concentrated in a large metropolitan region, interest in a new app can spread quickly through everyday conversations and online activity.

Why the AlphaGo Match Still Matters

South Korea's public awareness of AI also has roots in the 2016 match in which Google DeepMind's AlphaGo defeated Korean Go champion Lee Sedol. The encounter became a cultural turning point in how people understood the technology.

Choi described the match as an experience that brought AI's capabilities into public view and left a lasting sense of urgency:

That wasn't just a sports loss. It was a wake-up call. AI became something you couldn't ignore. I think many Koreans still carry that sense that they have to stay ahead, or at least not fall behind.

His account adds a historical explanation to the infrastructure story. Fast internet and smartphones make AI accessible, while the memory of AlphaGo helps explain why some Koreans feel a strong reason to keep up with it.

The milestones behind the current picture span several years:

• 2016: AlphaGo defeated Lee Sedol, bringing AI into the centre of public attention.
• 2023: Gallup Korea reported smartphone penetration above 95%.
• April 2025: WiseApp counted 17.4 million Korean ChatGPT mobile app users, while the global total of paying ChatGPT subscribers was around 20 million.
• May 2025: IGAWorks recorded 10.17 million ChatGPT users in South Korea, down from its April count of 12.5 million.

OpenAI Builds a Local Base and Partnerships

OpenAI's Seoul office places South Korea alongside Tokyo and Singapore in the company's Asian expansion. The move reflects the importance of a market with growing consumer demand, substantial business use and active developers.

Kwon described the qualities OpenAI sees in South Korea:

South Korea presents one of the most promising markets for meaningful AI impact, combining exceptional talent with technological sophistication.

OpenAI is deepening partnerships with Kakao, SK Telecom and Krafton. The collaborations aim to integrate advanced AI tools into popular platforms and accelerate the development of AI infrastructure across sectors.

AI infrastructure is the technical foundation needed to run these services. The partnerships also aim to adapt AI tools to Korean user preferences and business needs, connecting OpenAI's technology with local companies and their services.

The Seoul expansion forms part of OpenAI's broader effort to strengthen international AI infrastructure and support innovation. For Korean users and businesses, the focus is on bringing AI into platforms they use and making it useful for local needs.

May's Decline Adds Another Dimension to the Growth Story

IGAWorks recorded a fall in ChatGPT's Korean user base from 12.5 million in April to 10.17 million in May 2025. That is a decrease of 2.33 million users, or about 18.6%, using the firm's figures for both months.

Increased competition from other AI services and the fading of initial curiosity were cited as explanations for the decline. People may try a new tool when interest is high, while continued use depends on whether it remains useful alongside competing services.

ChatGPT nevertheless remained widely used in South Korea. The monthly decline and OpenAI's reported growth over a year describe activity across different periods: one captures the change from April to May, while the other tracks weekly use against the previous year.

South Korea's position brings together strong digital access, public awareness shaped by AlphaGo and substantial demand for ChatGPT. OpenAI's local office and corporate partnerships add a business dimension, while the May figures show that user engagement can fluctuate even in a market with rapid adoption.

Key Points

• South Korea ranks second globally for paid ChatGPT subscriptions, behind the United States.
• OpenAI says Korea is among its top five markets for business users and its top ten for total usage and API developer activity.
• Weekly active users grew 4.5 times over the past year.
• WiseApp counted 17.4 million Korean mobile app users in April 2025.
• IGAWorks recorded a decline from 12.5 million users in April to 10.17 million in May.
• Broadband access, smartphone use and public awareness of AI help explain rapid adoption.
• OpenAI's Seoul office is its third major Asian base, alongside partnerships with Kakao, SK Telecom and Krafton.
• Exact country subscription totals remain undisclosed.