[Conference Call] Chung Shina: "Buy Back 150 Billion Won in Shares for Shareholder Returns... Cancel Them Immediately"

Ahead of its spin-off, Kakao will buy back and cancel 150 billion won worth of its own shares to boost its undervalued corporate value and enhance shareholder returns.

Kakao CEO Shina Chung said during a conference call on the company's third-quarter 2026 earnings held on the morning of November 5, "We have decided to buy back 150 billion won worth of our own shares and cancel them immediately."

Kakao CI. Kakao

Kakao disclosed that day that it had decided to buy back and cancel 150 billion won worth of its own shares to enhance shareholder returns and corporate value. The share buyback will run from November 6 through February 5, 2027.

CEO Chung explained the decision to cancel the shares, saying, "We humbly acknowledge that the pace at which AI services have expanded this year has fallen short of capital market expectations. As Kakao transitions its governance structure, the gap between the market's current assessment of the company and our internal view of its future growth potential has widened more than ever."

"I believe it is most important not only to deliver shareholder returns this time, but also to focus all our resources on quickly launching AI services that exceed market expectations," Chung said. "We will expand our AI services even faster going forward and meet shareholders' expectations through tangible business results and improved corporate value."

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