Anthropic launches Seoul office and partners with major Korean firms on Claude AI

U.S. AI company Anthropic announced the opening of its Seoul office on 17 June 2026, marking its third Asia‑Pacific location after Tokyo and Bangalore. The launch was accompanied by a slate of partnerships with leading Korean enterprises, including NAVER, Samsung SDS, Nexon, LG CNS, Hanwha Solutions, and Channel Corp, which will integrate Anthropic’s Claude AI tools (Claude Code for software development and Claude Cowork for knowledge work) across their operations.

Anthropic also pledged to support research and nonprofit sectors in Korea. Up to 60 researchers from the National AI Research Lab coalition (KAIST, Korea University, Yonsei University, POSTECH) will receive access to Claude for safety and alignment studies, while the charity Good Neighbors Korea will use the technology for program analysis and administrative efficiency. KiYoung Choi, former Snowflake Korea GM, was appointed as the company’s representative director in Korea. Anthropic highlighted South Korea’s comprehensive AI legislation and full‑stack AI capabilities as reasons for its strong market focus.

The announcements signal Anthropic’s strategic push to embed its AI services throughout Korean industry and academia, positioning the country as a regional AI hub.