Anthropic names KiYoung Choi as Korea director, opens Seoul office
KiYoung Choi joins Anthropic as Representative Director of Korea ahead of the company's Seoul office launch.
Anthropic appointed KiYoung Choi as Representative Director of Korea, the company announced this week. Choi will lead operations ahead of the opening of Anthropic's Seoul office, marking Claude's first physical presence in the country and the company's fourth international hub after San Francisco, London, and New York.
The move reflects intensifying competition in South Korea's AI market. Naver released HyperCLOVA X last year, a Korean-language model trained on domestic data, while Kakao and SK Telecom have both announced proprietary models. Samsung, LG, and Naver have deployed internal AI infrastructure at scale. Anthropic's Representative Director role carries operational and legal authority in South Korea—overseeing local hiring, partnerships, and regulatory compliance—suggesting the company plans to staff up rather than operate remotely. The appointment ahead of the office opening indicates preparation for near-term expansion.
