[Financial News] OpenAI announced on the 29th that it has appointed Kyung-hoon Kim, former president of Google Korea, as the first general manager of OpenAI Korea. Mr. Kim is an executive with more than 20 years of experience in leading the global information technology (IT) and consulting industries, and he will oversee strategic partnerships and the expansion of the AI ecosystem for OpenAI in Korea.
OpenAI explained that this appointment aligns with the rapidly growing demand for OpenAI technologies in Korea.
From 2021 until recently, Mr. Kim served as the president of Google Korea, where he led the overall organization and grew Google’s advertising business in Korea.
Born in 1976, Mr. Kim holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Seoul National University and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. After working as a strategy consultant at the global consulting firm Bain & Company, he joined Google Korea in 2015, where he oversaw domestic digital marketing business. He also contributed to expanding the AI and digital ecosystem in Korea through various developer and startup support programs.
Oliver Jay, OpenAI’s Head of International Business, stated, “Korea is one of the fastest countries in the world to adopt AI, and Mr. Kyung-hoon Kim is the right person to lead innovation amid these opportunities. With his extensive experience and leadership, OpenAI Korea is expected to accelerate Korea’s AI transformation and play an important role in reinforcing Korea’s position as a global innovation hub, advancing as one of the top three countries in AI.”
Mr. Kim expressed, “By combining Korea’s innovative capabilities with OpenAI’s technology, I aim to contribute to Korea’s positioning as a global AI leader. As the use of ChatGPT and OpenAI’s API platform rapidly increases, we will present responsible AI utilization models through close collaboration with industries, the developer community, academia, and the government, creating positive and sustainable changes across Korean society.”