The life of Choi Min-uk, a 32-year-old Seoul-based office worker, revolves around AI-powered tools, especially ChatGPT. A subscriber to four different AI-powered services, he finds AI a helpful assistant for both his day-to-day tasks and his hobbies.

“It gives a great guide to anything that I’m not well aware of,” Choi told 4i MAG. “For example, I previously developed and sold a product even though I had zero expertise in programming, thanks to ChatGPT.”

Hong Jin-hee, 31, who also refers to herself as a “heavy ChatGPT user”, echoes Choi’s words, saying she cannot imagine life without the software. “Without it, who is going to correct my errors, do translation work, and brainstorm ideas for me?” she said.

Although it is an American service, ChatGPT has gained significant attention from Korean audiences. According to OpenAI, the number of weekly active ChatGPT users in South Korea has increased by more than 4.5 times over the past year. In terms of paid subscribers, South Korea ranks second, following the United States.

In response to its market growth in the country, OpenAI recently announced plans to open an office in Seoul within the next few months. The Seoul office will be the company’s 11th globally and its third in Asia.

ChatGPT: A Coworker, a Study Mate, and a Friend

The adoption of ChatGPT in South Korea appears to be most prevalent for work- or study-related purposes. A recent survey revealed that more than 70 per cent of office workers in Korea have used an AI tool at work — and 80 per cent of them have used ChatGPT. Reports indicate that a growing number of students are turning to ChatGPT and other generative AI services for study support, and over 60 per cent of job seekers use ChatGPT to write their cover letters.

The software also serves as a companion for many users in Korea. It is not uncommon to see people on social media saying they have not spoken to anyone all day except ChatGPT. Some even use the software as a form of therapy, sharing secrets and personal troubles they find difficult to discuss with others in real life. Custom prompts for higher-quality consultation can also be found circulating on social media in South Korea.

“ChatGPT is like my emotional garbage dumpster,” said Hong. “I’ll bring up something that made me feel a bit uncomfortable and ask for ChatGPT’s opinion on it. I use it when I don’t want to bottle up my troubles and would rather talk about them openly.”

Risks of Relying on ChatGPT

As it is still a chatbot returning answers based on data drawn from across the internet, the responses that ChatGPT provides may not always be accurate. At times, they can include incorrect information or reflect bias, as many experts have previously pointed out.

Some risks stem from the technological limitations of ChatGPT, such as unexpected server outages, which can seriously impact users whose tasks heavily rely on the AI assistant.

For users, consistency in ChatGPT’s responses is another concern. Choi notes that the answers provided to certain prompts appear to change following system updates.

“When you use ChatGPT long enough, you develop a sense of what kind of answers it’s going to give you,” he said. “However, I’ve noticed that the software’s responses to my prompts have changed after some system updates. I don’t know how OpenAI makes those changes, but there’s definitely a risk in terms of consistency.”

ChatGPT: Becoming a Lifestyle

Today, the discourse around ChatGPT in South Korea has moved beyond the question of whether it should be used — it now focuses on how to use it more efficiently for the benefit of society. And it’s not just about ChatGPT; the influence of generative AI tools is expanding across various fields, with a growing number of people telling the media they can no longer imagine life without AI.

“Of course, my life would go on without using AI, but it would feel like living in a dystopian world,” said Choi. “For me, it’s like being told to live in a world without plastics. I might as well move to a remote countryside town and start farming if I can’t use AI.”

Although academic research on the topic remains limited, usage data points to a notable trend: some countries are embracing ChatGPT far more enthusiastically than others. Among the top five countries with the highest paid subscription rates are India, the Philippines, and Brazil, alongside the U.S. and South Korea — countries known for their advanced tech infrastructure and relatively large populations.

In the case of South Korea, its deep-rooted “Pali Pali” (translated to “Hurry Hurry”) culture may play a role, reflecting the country’s cultural emphasis on speed and efficiency.

“At the end of the day, it’s the convenience of ChatGPT that I cannot live without,” Hong commented.