KakaoT Expands Service to Other Southeast Asian Countries Following Vietnam

Interview with Donggyu Lee, Vice President of External Cooperation at Kakao Mobility

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] "We will expand our services to other Southeast Asian regions following Vietnam in the first half of this year."

Lee Dong-gyu, Vice President of External Cooperation at Kakao Mobility, stated in an interview with Asia Economy on the 14th, "KakaoT's overseas expansion seems possible anywhere."

Currently, KakaoT provides overseas roaming services in Japan and Vietnam. This service allows users to call transportation through the KakaoT application while abroad. In Japan, it is linked with 'JapanTaxi,' and in Vietnam, it is connected with 'Grab.' For example, if a traveler in Vietnam opens the KakaoT app and calls a taxi, it automatically connects to Grab, and a taxi arrives. KakaoT also plans to expand the scale and regions of its airport pickup service, which is currently being tested in Vietnam.

Kakao is also interested in services for foreign tourists visiting Korea. Vice President Lee said, "Individual travelers tend to rely heavily on apps because they lack domestic information," and added, "If information is included in the KakaoT app, it will generate a lot of traffic."

Regarding this, he anticipated that such services could be possible by linking apps like Grab through Split. For instance, when a foreigner visits Korea and runs Grab, it would be linked with the KakaoT app to provide related services. In this case, the taxi industry can expect increased revenue by receiving more calls from overseas travelers. Vice President Lee explained, "Foreign tourists visit steadily throughout the year, not just during specific seasons," and said, "(If linked services are implemented) it will also be beneficial for the taxi industry."

Leading negotiations with the taxi industry, Vice President Lee explained that KakaoT is experimenting with various mobility services possible within the taxi regulatory framework. Currently, a beta test of the large taxi service 'Kakao T Venti' is underway.

He added, "For example, just as the airport pickup service was newly introduced in Vietnam, the scalability of mobility services such as family outings and academy pickups is very high," and said, "Once testing is completed, pilot services will be conducted, and we will be able to meet other forms of services in cooperation with the taxi industry."

KakaoT aims for the 'digitalization of the taxi industry.' The idea is that once the taxi industry is digitalized, it can operate new services and manage drivers more efficiently. Vice President Lee stated, "We will continue to cooperate with the taxi industry to enable various mobility experiences through taxis."