Anthropic opens Seoul office with South Korea deals

Anthropic has opened an office in Seoul and announced a series of partnerships in South Korea, including an agreement with the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The artificial intelligence company said the new office will serve as a base for work with Korean businesses, startups, researchers, and public sector bodies using its Claude models and coding tools. Senior executives travelled to Seoul to mark the opening and meet local partners, customers, and developers.

A central part of the move is a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Science and ICT on AI safety. The two sides plan to support the safe and responsible use of AI in the public sector, including Korean-language model safety evaluations with the Korea AI Safety Institute and information sharing on AI-enabled cyber threats.

Anthropic's push in South Korea comes as the country emerges as one of its more active markets. According to the company's Economic Index, Korea ranks among the top dozen countries for Claude.ai use, with much of that activity concentrated in technical and creative work.

Enterprise users

Several large Korean companies are already deploying Anthropic's tools across engineering and office functions.

NAVER has rolled out Claude Code across its engineering organisation, giving thousands of engineers access to the coding assistant. The tool is being used to expand coding workflows and improve productivity, according to the company.

At Nexon, engineering teams are using Claude Code to write, review, and release software for live-service games played around the world.

LG CNS is deploying Claude to thousands of employees for software development and client technology work, with plans to extend that use across the wider LG Group. Hanwha Solutions is also making Claude available to employees globally through AWS Bedrock, which the company said meets in-region data residency and security requirements.

Samsung SDS is deploying Claude to employees across Samsung Electronics. Teams are using Claude, including Claude Cowork and Claude Code, for knowledge work, software development, and automated workflows.

Startup links

Anthropic also used the Seoul announcement to highlight work with Korean startups that have integrated Claude directly into their products.

Channel Corp is using Claude in Channel Talk, its customer AI service. The platform handles customer enquiries and analyses service and sales data, and is used by more than 230,000 businesses across Korea, Japan, and the United States, according to the company.

Korean startup activity has been a notable source of demand, particularly among developers building products for overseas markets at an early stage, Anthropic said. Its Claude for Startups programme is now available in Korea.

Research access

Beyond the commercial sector, Anthropic said it will work with the National AI Research Lab, a consortium spanning KAIST, Korea University, Yonsei University, and POSTECH.

Under the arrangement, Anthropic will provide Claude access to up to 60 researchers affiliated with the consortium. The work will support research in AI safety, model evaluation, alignment, robustness, and other frontier AI topics.

Anthropic also pointed to use of Claude in the non-profit sector. Good Neighbours Korea, a child rights NGO, is deploying the tool to help staff analyse programme outcomes, navigate social welfare law and internal guidance, and reduce administrative work.

One local executive framed the move as part of a broader balance between growth and safeguards.

"What I see in Korea are teams who understand that innovation and safety are two sides of the same coin," said KiYoung Choi, Representative Director of Korea, Anthropic.

"Korean organizations are building with Claude to bring the benefits of AI to millions around the world. Opening an office in Seoul gives a long-term home to our work alongside the people shaping Korean leadership in AI," Choi said.

Good Neighbours Korea described the deployment as a way to redirect staff time.

"Good Neighbours Korea is exploring how responsible AI transformation can support frontline social workers, protect vulnerable populations, and strengthen service delivery," said Jeongsun Park, Chief Administrative Officer, Good Neighbours Korea.

"As we deploy Claude across our organization, we expect the efficiency gains to free our staff from administrative workload so they can focus more on what matters most: serving vulnerable children and communities," Park said.

The Seoul office is led by Choi, who has three decades of experience leading technology businesses in Korea, as Anthropic seeks a longer-term presence in one of Asia's most active markets for AI development and adoption.