Kakao founder Kim to resign as control tower chair

Kakao Corp. founder Kim Beom-soo, also known as Brian Kim, will step down as chairman of the South Korean tech giant’s top decision-making body, heralding an end to the company’s emergency management phase.

The resignation comes amid ongoing investigations into Kim, who was indicted by prosecutors last summer for charges of stock price manipulation related to Kakao’s takeover of K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment Co. in early 2023.

Kakao announced that Kim will quit co-chairmanship of the company’s corporate alignment council, or CA council, because he needs to focus on his health after he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, which is in its early stage.

He and Kakao Chief Executive Chung Shina have jointly led the council, in charge of coordinating the strategic direction of Kakao and its subsidiaries, as co-chairs since February 2024.

With his resignation, Kakao’s management reform committee, headed by Kim, will be wrapped up because he will also leave the committee leadership.  

Kim, who stepped down as chairman of Kakao’s board of directors in 2022, returned to the company's management in late 2023 as the head of the reform committee to rescue the startup-turned-conglomerate embroiled in multiple legal disputes, management moral hazard issues and management controversies.

After he leaves the CA council, CEO Chung will lead the council as the sole chair.

Despite his departure from the council and the reform committee, Kim will maintain his job as the head of Kakao’s Mirae Initiative Center, an organization dedicated to designing the future blueprint of the Kakao Group, the company said.

Kakao shrugged off any concerns about Kakao’s control tower, saying CEO Chung has been taking control of company-wide management and reorganization since early 2024.

Kakao shares ended down 2.2% at 43,150 won ($29.66) on Thursday. 

REFORM UNDER KIM DESPITE LEGAL CHALLENGES

Since Kim returned to Kakao’s management in November 2023, he has directed group-wide reforms with more centralized leadership, focusing on changes in the corporate culture, its expansion-centered management strategy and governance.

The number of Kakao affiliates dropped to 116 in March from 147 in May 2023.

After returning to management, Kim’s reform efforts, however, have hit some snags.

The founder has faced legal trials since he was indicted by prosecutors in early August 2024, a few weeks after he was arrested for his alleged involvement in Kakao’s stock price rigging to inflate SM Entertainment shares to win a bidding war against HYBE Co. over the control of Korea's first-generation entertainment giant in March 2023.

Kim has flatly denied the suspicions.

In October 2023, Bae Jae-hyun, chief investment officer of Kakao and two unidentified senior investment managers were arrested under investigation into the company's purchase of a majority stake in SM Entertainment earlier that year.

The three senior managers were alleged to have pushed SM’s share price above the tender offer price proposed by the company behind the global boy band sensation BTS.

Kim was released on bail last October, but it has been challenging for him to actively take part in Kakao’s management due to continued court hearings and trials.

DAUM SPINOFF

Meanwhile, Kakao also announced on the same day a decision to spin off its internet portal service Daum, Korea’s first-generation portal that was merged under Kakao in 2014.

The company did not disclose a detailed separation plan for Daum, including its spinoff date.

Daum’s split comes as Kakao is driving artificial intelligence and its messenger service KakaoTalk as its mainstay growth drivers.

This is a part of the achievements of Kim’s emergency management direction over the past two years in line with restored innovative startup spirits, said Kakao officials.    

Kakao is betting especially big on Kanana, a conversational AI agent-integrated messenger app that Kakao plans to launch in the first half of this year.

The company hopes the new app will be a stepping stone to an AI leap to rapidly catch up to its rivals at home and abroad in the AI race.

CEO Chung is at the helm of Kakao’s new growth driver push, including AI.

Write to Hyeon-woo Oh and Seung-Woo Lee at ohw@hankyung.com

Sookyung Seo edited this article.