AI safety and research company Anthropic has officially established a presence in South Korea with the opening of a new office in Seoul. This strategic expansion aims to deepen collaboration with the country's vibrant AI ecosystem of enterprises, startups, and researchers. The move signals Anthropic's long-term commitment to supporting the innovative work happening within Korea's technology landscape.
Strategic Government and Enterprise Collaboration
A key component of this expansion is a Memorandum of Understanding with Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT. This agreement focuses on the safe and responsible adoption of AI within the public sector. The collaboration will address AI safety and cybersecurity, including joint model evaluations and information sharing on emerging cyber threats.
Major Korean business groups are integrating Claude into their operations to drive efficiency and innovation. LG CNS is deploying the AI model to thousands of employees for software development, while Hanwha Solutions is utilizing it globally. Similarly, Samsung SDS is providing Claude to employees at Samsung Electronics to enhance knowledge work and agentic workflows.
The country's leading technology firms are also leveraging Anthropic's tools to boost productivity among their technical teams. NAVER, a prominent cloud and AI innovator, has deployed Claude Code across its entire engineering organization. At global gaming giant Nexon, engineering teams use the same tool to write, review, and ship code for live-service games played by millions.
Fostering Innovation with Startups and Researchers
The startup scene in Korea is actively building new products and services powered by Claude. For instance, Channel Corp utilizes the AI to power its customer service platform, Channel Talk, used by over 230,000 companies. The platform resolves customer inquiries and analyzes service data to deliver valuable business insights to its clients.
To strengthen ties with the academic community, Anthropic is partnering with the National AI Research Lab (NAIRL), a consortium including prestigious institutions. Through this collaboration, up to 60 affiliated researchers will gain access to Claude. This will support their work on AI safety, model evaluation, and other frontier AI research topics.
Anthropic's engagement extends to the nonprofit sector through a partnership with Good Neighbors Korea, a child rights NGO. The organization is deploying Claude to help staff analyze program outcomes and navigate complex social welfare laws. This adoption aims to reduce administrative workloads, allowing staff to focus more on serving vulnerable children and communities.
Cultivating a Vibrant Developer Community
Korea has emerged as one of the top countries for Claude.ai usage, with a particularly active developer community. To support this growth, Anthropic has launched its Claude for Startups program and hosted numerous developer meetups. A recent Claude Build Day brought together over 100 founders and developers for a hands-on building session.
Further community engagement includes a planned hackathon co-hosted with Replit and Korea Investment Partners. The new Seoul office is led by KiYoung Choi, a veteran with three decades of experience in Korea's technology sector. The company is actively hiring for various roles to build out its local team and support operations.
Anthropic's establishment of a Seoul office marks a significant step in its global expansion and commitment to the Korean market. By forging deep partnerships across government, industry, and academia, the company is positioning itself as a key enabler of responsible AI innovation. This multifaceted approach underscores a strategy focused on collaborative growth and developing a safe AI ecosystem.