Messenger operations unified under one roof

Move comes as Kakao prepares to launch KakaoAI, KakaoX

A user on KakaoTalk [Lim Se-jun]
A user on KakaoTalk [Lim Se-jun]

Kakao is consolidating its messenger operations ahead of a planned spinoff next year, transferring the enterprise messaging service KakaoWork from subsidiary DK TechIn to its headquarters.

The move aims to bring KakaoTalk and KakaoWork under a single operator to improve efficiency. It comes as Kakao prepares to launch KakaoAI, a new entity that will integrate AI into its messenger platforms, and reflects a broader effort to centralize messenger operations that had been spread across subsidiaries.

According to IT industry sources Monday, Kakao plans to acquire ownership of KakaoWork from DK TechIn on Nov. 1. Under the new structure, Kakao will handle service operations while DK TechIn continues to supply KakaoWork to customers as a licensor.

KakaoWork is an enterprise messaging service designed to support workplace communication at companies and institutions. Unlike KakaoTalk, which is used for everyday personal communication, KakaoWork is tailored to corporate environments. Users can chat and share files within a dedicated workspace, and the platform also offers collaboration tools such as video conferencing and electronic approvals.

Kakao said the transfer was decided to unify the operating structure of its messenger services. "We decided to move the business to headquarters in order to consolidate the operator of messenger services at the group level and improve efficiency," a Kakao official said.

Kakao's Pangyo Agit office in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province [Yonhap]
Kakao's Pangyo Agit office in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province [Yonhap]

Industry watchers are paying close attention to the transfer, which is taking place as Kakao pursues a spinoff next year. Kakao announced in August that it would split into two entities: KakaoAI, a new company to handle its platform and AI businesses, and KakaoX, the surviving entity to oversee investment in and management of subsidiaries. The split is set to take effect Jan. 1.

The move is being interpreted as an effort to reorganize the business by bringing messenger operations — previously scattered across subsidiaries — back under the parent company before the restructuring. Kakao has identified one of KakaoAI's core roles as connecting its AI, advertising and commerce businesses through messenger platforms such as KakaoTalk. The KakaoWork transfer is seen as a step to consolidate the messenger operating base at headquarters ahead of that reorganization.

This marks the first time KakaoWork will come under direct management by Kakao's headquarters since its launch. KakaoWork was released by Kakao Enterprise in 2020. That company later spun off its business-to-business service division — including KakaoWork — through a physical split in 2024, establishing a new entity called KEP. DK TechIn then absorbed KEP through a merger the same year, taking over the KakaoWork business in the process.


chami@heraldcorp.com