Newsletter N°81 - October 2025

🧠 Generative AI: SK Telecom joins hands with OpenAI in consumer AI push

SK Telecom Becomes OpenAI's Exclusive B2C Partner in Korea

SK Telecom has secured an exclusive B2C partnership with OpenAI, becoming the only Korean telecom carrier to collaborate directly with the ChatGPT creator following the establishment of OpenAI's Korean office on September 10, 2025. This landmark partnership positions SKT at the forefront of Korea's AI transformation as OpenAI recognizes the nation as an "AI full-stack country" with robust infrastructure, government support, and high technology adoption rates.

ChatGPT Plus Promotion Launches Korean AI Integration

The partnership's first consumer initiative is a ChatGPT Plus "1+2 months" promotion running from September 19 through February 2026. SKT customers can access 3 free months of ChatGPT Plus when subscribing for one month through the T Universe platform. This premium service offers faster response times, advanced voice mode, video generation capabilities, and OpenAI's new "Deep Research" tool that synthesizes complex online information for personalized reports on topics ranging from commuter bicycles to market analysis.

Foundation Built on Trust and Collaboration

OpenAI's selection of SKT as its exclusive Korean telecom partner stems from years of collaborative trust-building. The companies have worked together since 2023 through:

Global AI Hackathon co-hosting for AI talent development

MIT GenAI Impact Consortium founding membership for manufacturing AI research

Strategic alignment with SKT's "self-strengthening and cooperation" strategy alongside partnerships with AWS, Anthropic, and Perplexity

Poster for Prompt-er Day Seoul 2023 Generative AI hackathon co-hosted by SK Telecom and OpenAI

Lee Jae-shin, head of SKT's AI Growth Strategy Division, emphasized: "We will reinforce both international collaboration and self-competitiveness to build a customer-centric AI ecosystem”. Andy Brown, OpenAI's Asia-Pacific business lead, added: "Through this joint marketing with SKT, we hope more people can easily access ChatGPT and experience AI's value in their daily lives".

Strategic Context: Korea's AI Market Dominance

Korea represents a critical strategic market for OpenAI. The country boasts the world's second-highest ChatGPT paid subscriber base after the United States, with over 5 million monthly active users and ranks in the top 5 globally for enterprise customers. Korean developers using OpenAI's API platform also place within the global top 10.

OpenAI Korea, established in Seoul's Gangnam Teheran-ro district, serves as the company's 12th global office and third Asian headquarters after Singapore and Japan. The office will initially staff approximately 10 employees with plans for expansion as partnerships deepen.

Expanding AI Ecosystem Integration

Beyond the immediate promotion, SKT and OpenAI plan to expand cooperation across B2B services and SK Group-wide initiatives. This aligns with SKT's comprehensive AI infrastructure investments, including:

Hain GPUaaS cluster for AI computing power

SK AI Data Center Ulsan - Korea's largest AI-dedicated facility outside Seoul

Leadership role in the K-AI Alliance promoting domestic AI development

The partnership also complements OpenAI's broader Korean strategy, including research collaboration with Seoul National University, partnerships with major conglomerates across electronics, construction, finance, and e-commerce sectors, and potential data center construction in South Korea.

This partnership represents a strategic convergence of OpenAI's global expansion ambitions with Korea's emergence as an AI powerhouse, positioning SKT customers at the forefront of next-generation AI service adoption while strengthening Korea's role in the global AI ecosystem.

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