South Korea’s government is broadening its AI cooperation beyond OpenAI by pursuing policy ties with Anthropic, and the Ministry of Science and ICT is reviewing a possible MOU after talks at the 2026 AI Impact Summit, according to industry sources.
Bae Kyung-hoon, deputy prime minister, met Dario Amodei, chief executive officer of Anthropic, in New Delhi and discussed Anthropic’s plans for a Seoul office and cooperation on shifts in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) market following the emergence of Claude Code.
Anthropic had announced plans to open a Gangnam office earlier this year.
The ministry has until now focused its global AI ties on OpenAI after an MOU last year with Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI, on building a domestic AI ecosystem, public-sector AI adoption, and talent development.
Company data showed South Korea ranked in the top five globally for Claude usage and per-capita usage.
Officials have warned against overreliance on single firms for procurement and standards, and the government is pursuing a dual-track strategy that prioritizes a sovereign AI foundation model for sensitive sectors while cooperating with global companies.
🔗 Source: Chosun Daily
Originally written by: Naomi Li Gan
Source: Tech in Asia
Published on: 15 March 2026
Link to original article: South Korea eyes AI partnership with Anthropic
