OpenAI has confirmed offering a month of free subscription to its South Korean paid users following the ChatGPT service outage last month.
On Wednesday, OpenAI sent text messages to ChatGPT subscribers in South Korea around 10:40 p.m. on Tuesday notifying them of a mobile payment cancellation. The company canceled the payment, which was made by Pro subscribers (who pay $200 monthly), with OpenAI LLC listed as the service provider.
OpenAI’s customer service explained that no further action was required on their part and that OpenAI’s system would automatically make adjustments, which may include payment cancellations or billing changes. Furthermore, noting that if the subscription is active, it’s likely due to ongoing compensation procedures for the June service disruption.
They added that guidance on compensation for June’s issues would be provided in a sequential manner.
In an email to South Korean subscribers on June 13, OpenAI stated that it had identified and successfully restored the affected servers. Further, it plans to provide additional information about compensation for paid users by early July.
The service outage lasted about 15 hours, from 3:36 p.m. on June 10 to 7:00 a.m. on June 11. OpenAI attributed the disruption to a temporary disconnection from multiple servers during a system update, which reduced available processing capacity and caused errors.
After establishing its subsidiary in South Korea, OpenAI is now preparing to open its first office in Seoul and is currently recruiting staff for this new location.