Kakao Webtoon to Merge with KakaoPage This Year... Global Business to Focus on IP

Tapas Service to End

"Accelerating the Global Growth Drive"

Kakao Entertainment is consolidating its platforms, which had previously been divided into Kakao Webtoon, KakaoPage, and Tapas, into a single unified platform under KakaoPage. Following Kakao’s decision to carry out a company split, Kakao Entertainment, which will soon become a subsidiary of KakaoX, has decided to integrate its platforms in order to enhance business efficiency.

On the 22nd, Kakao Entertainment announced, "We will focus our story business capabilities under a unified platform." The company will provide service integration guidance to KakaoPage and Kakao Webtoon users on the 29th, and plans to complete the merger within this year.

Kakao Page BI. Kakao Entertainment

The predecessor of Kakao Webtoon is Daum Webtoon, launched in 2003 under the name 'Manhwa Soksesang' (World of Comics). After Kakao’s acquisition of Daum, the service was rebranded as Kakao Webtoon; however, concerns were raised that there was significant overlap with the comics and webtoon services already offered on KakaoPage.

With this integration, Kakao Entertainment plans to strengthen its IP pipeline, while also advancing the platform by combining content-driven technology and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. In doing so, it aims to provide users with a highly differentiated and personalized content experience.

The company will also restructure its global business around IP. Leveraging its strong IP assets, such as "Solo Leveling," Kakao Entertainment will focus its business capabilities on this area. In the process, Tapas–the webtoon platform that targeted the North American market–will be discontinued. Previously, Kakao Entertainment had already ended the Kakao Webtoon local services in Indonesia and Taiwan.

Instead, for global distribution, the company will collaborate with Piccoma, a platform operated by its subsidiary Kakao Piccoma. In Japan, home to the world’s largest comics market, Piccoma dominates the webtoon sector. The platform also allows for further expansion to other countries with Japan as the core market.

The upcoming company split at the end of this year has also been taken into account. Kakao will be split into KakaoAI, which will focus on AI and platforms, and KakaoX, which will be responsible for new investments and affiliate management. This integration is anticipated to strengthen the company’s global content IP competitiveness through improved operational efficiency ahead of the split.

Kakao Entertainment stated, "This integration is part of our efforts to efficiently leverage our core competencies through selection and concentration," adding, "Through a fundamental reinforcement of our business operations, we will accelerate our global growth drive."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.