Kakao to launch subscription membership service next month

Membership to leverage KakaoTalk's roughly 50 million users to build platform ecosystem

Affiliates and outside platforms to broaden user choices

Kakao says it is preparing a membership linking diverse services and user benefits

Interior of Kakao's headquarters. [Yonhap]

Kakao plans to launch a "Kakao Membership" service as early as next month. The company intends to build a Kakao platform ecosystem by connecting its major affiliate services — and outside platforms — through KakaoTalk, which has about 50 million users.

A beta version of Kakao Membership, centered on the newly established Kakao AI subsidiary and involving key Kakao affiliates, is set to launch next month. The company plans to gradually expand the Kakao platform ecosystem on the foundation of KakaoTalk.

The membership price has not yet been set, as the services to be included have not been finalized. The price could vary depending on what is ultimately offered.

Kakao CEO Jeong Shin-a. [Provided by Kakao]

Kakao plans to use the membership as a hub to bundle KakaoTalk with its major affiliate services, aiming to expand its influence across shopping and commerce, mobility, finance and payments, content and entertainment, and lifestyle.

Key affiliates expected to participate include Kakao Commerce and Kakao Style for shopping and commerce, Kakao Mobility for mobility, Kakao Entertainment for content and entertainment, Kakao Pay and Kakao Bank for finance and payments, KakaoTalk services for lifestyle, and Kakao Cloud.

Members are expected to receive perks such as subscriptions to Melon and Kakao Webtoon — services operated by Kakao Entertainment — as well as discounts on taxi rides through Kakao Mobility.

Benefits tied to Kakao Pay could include enhanced point accumulation when paying at offline stores and preferential commission rates on share investments.

Kakao also plans to draw outside platforms into its ecosystem to give users more choices beyond existing Kakao services. The company intends to encourage third-party platform participation over the long term, leveraging KakaoTalk's user base of nearly 50 million.

Kakao recently signed a partnership with Coupang Eats allowing users to order food and complete payment entirely within a KakaoTalk chat window. The move signals potential collaboration with leading domestic platforms in food delivery and OTT services.

A Kakao employee arrives at the company's Pangyo office in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. [Herald Business photo by Lim Se-jun]

"We are currently preparing a membership service, and the launch timing and details have not been decided," Kakao said, adding that it "has been continuously reviewing ways to provide users with a variety of benefits and is preparing a membership that links the diverse services Kakao can offer — including those of its affiliates — with user benefits."

ko@heraldcorp.com