South Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon has initiated preliminary discussions with Anthropic, the developer behind the Claude AI model, as the nation aims to expand its collaborations with major global artificial intelligence firms. The Ministry of Science and ICT revealed that Bae met with Anthropic’s Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei during an AI summit in India in February, where the two explored advancements in AI technology, industry dynamics, and the potential for future partnerships.
Despite the positive dialogue, an official from the ministry underscored that the negotiations are still in their infancy, with no formal memorandum of understanding or specific cooperative initiatives currently on the table. Reports from Yonhap News Agency indicated that discussions included avenues for policy collaboration, applications of AI in public services, and efforts focused on AI safety. However, the ministry has yet to confirm any detailed framework for these discussions.
The significance of this engagement arises as Anthropic gains momentum in the AI landscape, particularly with the increasing adoption of Claude among developers and enterprise clients for coding and operational tasks. This growing interest has elevated the company’s visibility beyond its initial focus on AI researchers and startups. South Korea represents an important market for Anthropic; according to the company’s January 2026 Economic Index, the country ranked seventh among 116 nations in terms of Claude’s usage intensity, a metric adjusted for the working-age population to reflect relative adoption rates.
In addition to discussions with the South Korean government, Anthropic has begun to establish a local presence, recently commencing recruitment efforts in Seoul. The company is in the process of setting up a Korea office aimed at enterprise sales, pending the appointment of a country manager. This move aligns with broader strategies by tech giants like OpenAI and Google, who are also intensifying their enterprise AI initiatives in the region.
South Korea’s most prominent foreign AI collaboration has been with OpenAI. In October 2025, the Science Ministry formalized a memorandum of understanding with the company to focus on AI ecosystem development, transformation of public sector AI applications, and nurturing talent in the field. Following this agreement, the government established a working-level task force to pursue follow-up initiatives.
At the same time, the South Korean government is fostering the development of domestic AI foundation models, especially for sensitive sectors such as defense and healthcare. In these areas, considerations around data security, regulatory frameworks, and national strategic interests are paramount. This dual approach aims to balance foreign partnerships with robust local capabilities as the nation navigates the evolving AI landscape.
As discussions with Anthropic continue to unfold, they signify South Korea’s intent to broaden its AI strategy beyond existing partnerships, underscoring the importance of international collaboration in a rapidly evolving technological environment.
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