[New Year Message] Kakao CEO Shin-Ah Chung: "Human-Centered AI and Global Fandom Are New Growth Engines"

Realizing 'Next Finance' Through Web3 Infrastructure
"Proving the Pride and Social Responsibility of IT Companies"

"Last year was a time of consolidation, during which we strengthened our fundamentals, refined our systems, and concentrated the group’s capabilities around our core strengths. Now, it is time to shift gears from consolidation to 'growth,' leveraging this accumulated energy." (Shin-Ah Chung, CEO of Kakao)

Yonhap News

Kakao is set to enhance the group’s value by making artificial intelligence (AI) and global fandom its new growth engines. Kakao has identified two key pillars for driving growth in 2026: ▲ Human-centered AI and ▲ Global Fandom OS (Operating System).

The human-centered AI strategy is designed to maximize Kakao’s unique strength in understanding the context of the daily lives and relationships of its 50 million users. CEO Chung emphasized, "AI will evolve beyond simply executing commands, becoming agentic AI that first understands users’ intentions and situations and then connects to their next actions." To achieve this, Kakao plans to further advance on-device AI that protects personal data.

To enhance the execution of its AI strategy, Kakao will internalize business-to-consumer (B2C) services and core technologies, while flexibly expanding infrastructure that requires large-scale investment through external partnerships. This approach aims to secure both efficiency and scalability, ensuring sustainable growth.

The second pillar of growth is the 'Global Fandom OS,' which will extend Kakao’s reach worldwide. By combining the group’s super intellectual property (IP), platforms, and both online and offline interfaces-its 'full-stack assets'-Kakao aims to build a global fandom ecosystem where fans around the world can interact and create value.

Web3 will serve as the key infrastructure connecting these two growth pillars and expanding user value. Web3 will function as a trusted network that securely and transparently links a wide range of activities, from AI agents making reservations and payments to rewarding fan participation. Ultimately, this will lead to the realization of Kakao’s vision for 'Next Finance.'

Additionally, over the past two years, Kakao has undertaken intensive group-wide governance streamlining. As a result, the number of affiliates was reduced from a peak of 147 to 94 as of the end of last year. Kakao also achieved record-breaking financial performance for two consecutive quarters-Q2 and Q3 of 2025-attaining financial stability.

CEO Chung urged, "Let us not rest on the formulas of past success, but take bold steps forward by making AI a 'creative multiplier' that amplifies each individual’s capabilities and ideas, so that 1+1 becomes more than 2."

She added, "The growth we are about to achieve goes beyond financial performance; it is a process that proves the pride and social responsibility of Korean IT companies. Let us rise above the waves of change and move toward greater heights and a broader world."