"One-Tenth the Price"... 'ChatGPT Pro' Now 29,000 Won on KakaoTalk Gift

Word-of-mouth spreads after steep discount on 300,000-won monthly membership
Limit of five passes per person...Some complain after 'refund' notice is added

The 'ChatGPT Pro' membership, which normally costs around 300,000 won per month, is drawing attention as it is being sold for 29,000 won on KakaoTalk Gift. As part of a collaboration between Kakao and OpenAI, interest is growing because it is a 'Pro pass available at the Plus price'.

According to Kakao on February 14, a 'one-month ChatGPT Pro subscription' (29,000 won) is currently being sold on KakaoTalk Gift. ChatGPT Pro is the highest-tier paid membership that allows unlimited use of the latest GPT models. It is tailored for complex data analysis, writing long-form reports, and generating and verifying code. Based on domestic list prices, web payments cost 200 dollars per month (about 288,000 won), and prices on app marketplaces range from 290,000 to 310,000 won.

ChatGPT Pro 1-month subscription sold for 29,000 won on KakaoTalk Gift. Screenshot of the KakaoTalk Gift screen.

Although it was launched without separate marketing, it is spreading rapidly, mainly through social networking services (SNS) and online communities. Posts certifying that people bought several passes at once, taking advantage of the fact that each person can purchase up to five, are appearing one after another.

The purchase quantity is limited to a maximum of five, including both 'Gift to myself' and 'Gift to a friend'. As a notice has been added in the product description stating that purchases exceeding this limit may be refunded, some users are expressing disappointment.

At the end of October last year, Kakao introduced 'ChatGPT for Kakao', which allows users to access ChatGPT within KakaoTalk, and the number of users has reportedly grown to 8 million recently. Kakao plans to gradually expand ChatGPT-based AI features within KakaoTalk in the future.

Industry observers view the sale of this Pro pass as a form of 'trial marketing' aimed at converting free users into paid members. The conversion rate from short-term Pro trials to full-price subscriptions is expected to be the key metric determining the campaign's success going forward.