Digital expenses among South Korean consumers are increasing sharply as various information technology (IT) subscription services become more common. With OTT platforms, YouTube, and music streaming services becoming essential for young people, a flood of paid generative AI services, led by ChatGPT, is adding to the monetary load.

According to a recent analysis by KB Kookmin Card, spending on subscription services rose 17.1 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year. Paid subscriptions to generative AI services skyrocked by 299 percent during the same period - quadrupling in just one year.

In Korea, subscribing to just a few popular services – such as YouTube Premium (14,900 won), Netflix’s basic plan (13,500 won), and Melon’s unlimited music plan (10,900 won) - already totals about 40,000 won ($27.4) per month.

Adding two or more AI subscriptions like ChatGPT raises the subscription cost to nearly 100,000 won.

This growing burden has led to a new term - digital rent, and just like rent, digital service subscriptions have become a fixed monthly expense in Korea.

The trend of subscribing to AI services is most prevalent among people in their 20s and 30s, who tend to be more receptive to new technology. In a survey conducted by market research firm Macromill Embrain in January 2025, generative AI ranked first among the most desired new subscription services for people in their 20s and second for those in their 30s.

Macromill Embrain concluded that “since this generation is already actively using generative AI for study and work, AI is likely to become a national-level subscription service.”

As the number of paid users for services like ChatGPT steadily increases, revenue from subscriptions is also growing. According to tech media outlet The Information, the number of ChatGPT Plus users rose from about 15.5 million at the end of 2024 to over 20 million by the end of March 2025.

Considering that ChatGPT’s basic plan starts at $20 per month, OpenAI is estimated to be earning at least $415 million per month from subscriptions alone. There are also reports that OpenAI may gradually raise the ChatGPT subscription fee to $44 per month by 2029.

As digital subscription costs grow, users are now looking for ways to save - seeking financial products that offer subscription discounts or turning to free alternatives.

There is a strong interest in free AI search tools that can substitute for ChatGPT in particular. In Korea, services like Wrtn, which emphasize free AI tools, have become the third-most used in the country.

AI early adopters often recommend free AI tools, such as oo.ai and Alan by ESTsoft, and share information on these alternatives.

Some consumers share OTT accounts with family and friends. Using global account-sharing platforms like GamsGo, six users can share a $22 ChatGPT Plus subscription, bringing the cost down to $5.67 per month.

The trend of rising digital rent is expected to continue as generative AI services continue to grow. The percentage of Koreans who have experienced generative AI services as of 2024 hit 33.3 percent according to a survey by the Ministry of Science and ICT, nearly double the figure from the previous year.