Korea’s dominance in entertainment and digital infrastructure has long attracted global tech innovators, but the arrival of ElevenLabs marks a deeper shift. By anchoring its Asian operations in Seoul, the world’s leading voice-AI unicorn is betting on Korea’s fusion of creative industries and advanced AI policy to redefine how voices, stories, and customer interactions are produced and globalized.

ElevenLabs Officially Launches in Korea

UK-based ElevenLabs, one of the world’s fastest-growing artificial intelligence (AI) voice technology companies, has officially entered the Korean market.

At a press conference held on November 21 at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul, Co-founder and CEO Mati Staniszewski introduced the company’s platform suite and shared its long-term vision to build Korea into Asia’s central hub for voice-driven AI innovation.

Founded in 2022, ElevenLabs develops deep-learning models for text-to-speech (TTS), speech-to-text (STT), AI dubbing, and voice cloning. Within three years, it has grown to more than 50 million monthly active users and a valuation of 6.6 billion USD, serving 75 percent of Fortune 500 companies alongside Korean partners such as Naver, Krafton, SBS, and ESTsoft.

Staniszewski described ElevenLabs as “a creative voice-AI company that gives technology a voice and breathes life into agents, knowledge, and stories.”

Why Korea Is Central to ElevenLabs’ Asia Strategy

ElevenLabs’ entry follows a surge of international deep-tech companies localizing in Korea to tap its unique mix of cultural export power, government AI investment, and technical infrastructure.

According to Country Director Hong Sang-won, 65 percent of Korean conglomerates have already introduced AI solutions, and the government plans to invest KRW 10.1 trillion (~ USD 6.87 billion) in the sector by 2026. Combined with near-universal mobile access and world-leading 5G penetration, these conditions make Korea an ideal proving ground for high-performance AI systems.

The company aims to support both enterprise operations and creative industries. Its AI Agent Platform offers sub-0.5-second latency, integrates with CRM and payment systems, and automates 24-hour multilingual customer support. A European digital bank using the platform cut agent handling time by 85 percent and enabled AI to resolve half of all credit-card inquiries.

For media and entertainment clients, the Creative Platform enables real-time dubbing and localization across 70 languages and 7,000 voices, reproducing the tone, emotion, and nuance of original performances. ElevenLabs expects this to accelerate the global distribution of K-content by reducing the cost and time of multilingual production.

ElevenLabs on Success in Korea: Synergy Between AI and Creativity

ElevenLabs Korea’s CEO Hong Sang-won emphasized that the company’s approach is to augment, not replace, human creativity.

“Our ultra-low-latency voice agents enhance customer experience around the clock. While AI handles repetitive inquiries, people can focus on empathy, creativity, and complex problem-solving.”

The Korea head also pointed to ElevenLabs’ alignment with the government’s digital innovation priorities.

“Success in Korea is the benchmark for success in Asia. We want Korea not only as a market but as the hub for voice-AI research, ethics, and cultural application.”

To ensure ethical use, ElevenLabs applies its proprietary 3C Framework — Consent, Control, Compensation, incorporating verification, tracking, and fair-revenue mechanisms. Its global marketplace hosts over 10,000 AI voices and has already distributed 11 million USD to creators.

ElevelLabs in Korea: Merging Deep-Tech With K-Content

ElevenLabs’ launch illustrates a growing convergence between Korea’s cultural industries and its AI ecosystem. As entertainment exports expand, demand for automated yet emotionally authentic dubbing is rising sharply. ElevenLabs’ real-time voice synthesis addresses that gap, helping local studios and platforms scale globally without losing creative integrity.

The company’s collaboration model also reflects Korea’s broader pivot toward deep-tech commercialization and AI-driven export strategies, complementing national programs that nurture cross-border innovation through startups and research alliances. Analysts view ElevenLabs’ localization as both a symbolic and practical reinforcement of Korea’s position as a regional AI voice-technology hub.

Korea’s Next Leap in AI-Driven Creativity

At the end of the day, ElevenLabs’ establishment in Seoul represents the next phase of Korea’s transformation. The country is now moving into a creative-tech powerhouse where AI serves to refine storytelling, not merely automation.

By bridging K-content and deep-tech, Korea now stands poised to shape how the world hears, speaks, and connects through intelligent voice technologies.

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