Beyond AI transformation (AX), South Korean startups are moving faster to target AI-native operations where entire organisations run around AI.

Compared with large companies that must weigh multiple factors before adopting AI, startups are smaller and have fewer processes. That makes it relatively easier for them to introduce AI across a range of tasks and deliver results at company level.

Channel Corporation, which runs the all-in-one AI business messenger Channel Talk, has offered unlimited support for Claude Code tokens to all employees since April. It expanded the scope of support so that non-developers in sales, design and finance, as well as its development organisation, can actively use AI in their work.

Based on that, the company explained that workplace automation cases using Claude Code are emerging one after another.

The company said an in-house cafe barista with no coding experience improved efficiency by shifting from taking and compiling orders on memo paper to an app-based system using Claude. The customer CX team built 7 work apps in-house within a month, and the sales team developed an AI-based cold-call coaching tool and is using it in the field.

Channel Corporation has also moved to secure related talent. In a recruitment promotion in April that highlighted benefits such as unlimited Claude token support and a 30 percent pay rise, more than 2,000 applicants applied over a month, the company said.

Channel Corporation Vice President Kyung-hoon Lee (이경훈) said, "Tasks that we could not execute despite having ideas due to a lack of development resources are quickly becoming reality through AI." He said, "We plan to continue providing an environment where talent who want to try new things using AI can experiment and execute sufficiently."

HwaHae Global, which operates the beauty platform Hwahae, is also speeding up AX. A representative case is building the AI data analysis assistant DAHAE.

The company said that in the past it had to go through a separate process to request analysis from the data analytics team. After DAHAE was introduced, entering a question in the collaboration tool Slack prompts the AI to find related data, write a query and provide the results.

By using an internal semantic layer as AI context, non-developers can obtain accurate data with natural-language questions without writing SQL.

The company explained that it processed more than 7,500 analysis requests in about 3 months after launch, and reduced the burden of repetitive analysis work by more than 90 percent. It also stressed that, based on DAHAE, HwaHae Global's data strategy team can focus on higher value-added work such as business strategy and product advancement rather than routine response tasks.

HwaHae Global is also actively using AI in advertising and commerce.

In global ad operations, ad revenue per headcount has continued to expand through AI automation, and a system that automatically matches brands and select shops with AI also contributed to higher revenue by leading to actual sales deals, the company said.

Results are also becoming visible in operational efficiency. The company stressed that AI cut the time to detect abusive reviews by 89 percent, and reduced inspection time by 94 percent through automating photo review checks without lowering quality.

As part of its shift to an "AI-native organisation", HwaHae Global is establishing a culture in which anyone can build and operate automation tools regardless of whether they are in development roles. Data Strategy Team Head Gwang-bin Lim (임광빈) said, "Beyond simply introducing technology, members have entered a stage where they systemise repetitive tasks and directly design tools." He said, "The experience of all members directly implementing automation will be a competitive edge that allows Hwahae to respond flexibly to a rapidly changing market environment."

MyRealTrip, a travel super app, aims to be an "AI Native" organisation where members work based on AI. Since 2024, it has fully introduced AI into its services and work methods through its in-house AI consulting organisation, AI Lab, and an internal experimental programme, the AI Champion scheme.

It supports strengthening AI capabilities for all employees by providing support for practical onboarding and learning costs, and offering unlimited AI tools. This led to the creation of LuckyGlide, an AI-based flight search service that started with a marketer directly building an initial prototype.

A B2B sales manager built a CRM system directly to improve simple cold email sending work, and non-developers are also achieving service development and internal efficiency gains without technical barriers, the company said.

A MyRealTrip official said, "Rather than coding skills, the ability to define what the customer's problem is became the starting point for creating a service." The official said, "We will continue to broaden an environment where anyone, regardless of role, can turn ideas into actual services."