Soft launch set for Oct. 1, with open-alert sign-ups beginning Monday

Emoticons, cloud storage, gifting, Melon, Pay and securities among linked services

Welcome benefits for new members; gradual expansion of user access planned

An image related to Kakao's integrated membership service. [Provided by Kakao]
An image related to Kakao's integrated membership service. [Provided by Kakao]

Kakao's integrated membership service — bundling subscriptions, shopping, financial services and content — is set to launch Oct. 1, as the company's first unified membership program takes shape.

Kakao said Monday it has opened a page where users can sign up to receive an alert when Kakao Membership soft-launches.

Kakao Membership is the company's first integrated membership program, linking a range of services including emoticons, KakaoTalk cloud storage, the gifting feature, Melon, Kakao Pay and Kakao Securities. The program aims to bring together existing paid services alongside new benefits to offer users a fresh experience. New perks include welcome benefits for new members and additional reward points on the gifting feature.

An image related to Kakao's integrated membership service. [Provided by Kakao]
An image related to Kakao's integrated membership service. [Provided by Kakao]

Kakao will soft-launch Kakao Membership on Oct. 1, initially opening sign-ups on a first-come, first-served basis to a limited number of users to ensure service stability. The company plans to expand access in stages after that.

Starting Monday, users who add the Kakao Membership Talk channel as a friend will receive a soft-launch notification. Kakao plans to send an open-alert message and a sign-up link through that channel on Oct. 1.

The Kakao Membership Talk channel can also be found through the open-alert sign-up page on the Kakao Now banner in the KakaoTalk "More" tab, or by searching for Kakao Membership directly in KakaoTalk's friend search.

Full details on membership benefits and how to sign up will be disclosed on the launch date, Oct. 1.

"Kakao Membership goes beyond simply bundling multiple benefits — the significance lies in giving users a more convenient and seamlessly connected benefits experience within a single membership," said Kim Min-gyu, a performance leader at Kakao. "We plan to continue offering compelling benefits that can only be experienced through Kakao Membership."


ko@heraldcorp.com