Kakao CEO Chung Shina Rebuilds C-Level Leadership for AI OS Transformation [KFT Topic]

[Korea Financial Times, Jeong Chaeyun] Kakao CEO Chung Shina has implemented a sweeping reorganization of C-level leadership. She recruited Song Jae-ha, former CTO of Woowa Brothers, as Chief Technology Officer and brought back Lee Jin-soo, former co-CEO of Kakao Entertainment, as Future Strategy Officer at the Future Initiative Center, completing a dual-engine strategy centered on "human-centric artificial intelligence (AI)" and "global fandom operating system (OS)." This goes beyond a simple personnel reshuffle and represents a calculated move to redefine the platform's structure as an "AI OS company."

According to industry sources on the 20th, CEO Chung Shina presented human-centric AI as this year's management priority in her New Year's address earlier this month. This signifies moving beyond simple conversational AI to create personalized experiences for individuals by integrating fandom, community, and transaction data.

To realize this vision, Kakao aims to build an OS that mediates human relationships through AI technology. The concept is to create a unified connected ecosystem by combining external linked services such as Web3 wallets, NFTs, and payments around 50 million KakaoTalk users.
Currently, Kakao is conducting experiments integrating NFT and payment functions into specific artist fandom communities and linking data with external platforms such as Baemin and Yanolja. These integration efforts extend to customized content recommendations and transaction experiences based on user behavior data.

Once this structure is complete, Kakao will build a fandom and payment network centered around KakaoTalk, advancing toward becoming an AI OS company where AI mediates all relationships, content, and economic activities.

Kakao's Choice: Competing on OS Ecosystem Rather Than AI Models

Kakao's new blueprint emphasizes a shift from model competition to "OS competition." In the domestic AI competitive landscape, Kakao has been evaluated as moving somewhat slowly. Naver attacked the market early with "HyperCLOVA X," and SK Telecom with "A.."

However, the path Kakao has chosen is not placing AI on the platform's front end, but rather changing the platform structure itself with AI. The strategy is to become an AI OS company, not an AI service company.

The core pillars supporting this strategy are clear. CTO Song Jae-ha will be responsible for infrastructure and the technology ecosystem, while Future Strategy Officer Lee Jin-soo will handle content, intellectual property (IP), and the fandom economy.

CTO Song Jae-ha: Operations Expert Building Large-Scale Traffic Infrastructure

Kakao's newly appointed CTO Song Jae-ha is a platform operations expert with strengths in traffic management and service stabilization. Born in 1973, he graduated from Sungkyunkwan University's Department of Korean Language and Literature and earned a master's degree in software engineering from KAIST.

His career spans the gaming, data, and platform sectors. He served as team leader at NCSOFT's Open Maru Studio and technical director of the data center, then worked as leader of SK Planet's data infrastructure team. After serving as CTO of Yanolja, he stabilized large-scale user-based services as CTO of Woowa Brothers.

Following this Kakao appointment, he will oversee company-wide technology operations and platform stability, laying the technological foundation for the AI and global OS strategy. Experimental AI project teams like "Kanana" already exist within Kakao. Once C-level executives provide direction, "performance leaders" such as Kim Byeong-hak and Kim Jong-han independently execute AI projects.
Industry observers forecast that under CTO Song's leadership, a "top-down direction + autonomous execution" model will take root, improving Kakao's large-scale AI service operational capabilities.

The expected benefits from CTO Song's joining extend beyond technical stability to experiments combining various external services. During his time at Woowa Brothers, he experienced payment and data linkage models such as Baemin Pay and Baemin Market. This experience naturally aligns with Kakao's plan to promote an "AI-based Web3 payment ecosystem."

Lee Jin-soo's Return: Designing Global Fandom Economy Through Content IP

Lee Jin-soo, Future Strategy Officer at Kakao's Future Initiative Center, will complete Kakao's AI OS strategy as a "dual axis of technology and content" in conjunction with the technology OS being built by CTO Song Jae-ha, focusing on content, fandom, and IP business.

Lee is a key figure who laid the foundation for Kakao's content business. After graduating from Seoul National University's Business School, he worked at Freechal, IBM, and Naver before co-founding Podotree (predecessor of KakaoPage) with founder Kim Beom-soo in 2010.

As KakaoPage division head and CEO, he pioneered the paid webtoon and web novel market with the "wait and it's free" model, growing it into a platform with KRW 1,000,000,000,000 in annual transaction volume. In 2021, as co-CEO of Kakao Entertainment, he led the acquisitions of North American platforms "Tapas" and "Radish," contributing to global IP expansion. Even after stepping down as CEO in January 2024, he has focused on supporting the creative ecosystem as chairman of Kakao Creative Foundation.

The background of Lee's return connects with Kakao's other core growth pillar, building a "global fandom OS." As the leader who spearheaded the integration of KakaoPage and Entertainment and expanded webtoon and drama IP globally, Lee is expected to redesign Kakao's new business planning as a "content-centered global platform."

In this month's New Year's address, CEO Chung Shina mentioned regarding the global fandom OS: "From super IP universes to platforms connecting fans and artists, online and offline interfaces, to user-centric AI technology, Kakao Group's full-stack assets are powerful weapons to lead changes in fandom."

This is interpreted as Kakao's intent to build a fandom OS integrating technology and IP, going beyond simple content distribution. Lee Jin-soo's return holds symbolic meaning as the "content axis" that will strengthen the execution power of this strategy.

An industry source stated, "This C-level reorganization at Kakao is the opening act of a 'second founding' jointly envisioned by founder Kim Beom-soo and CEO Chung Shina," adding, "At a time when the hegemony of Korea's ICT industry is shifting from model competition to ecosystem competition, this is a wise move to redefine roots through technology."

Jeong Chaeyun (chaeyun@fntimes.com)