Kakao Entertainment Corp. () is a South Korean entertainment, mass media, and publishing company founded in 2021. A subsidiary of the Internet company Kakao, it was established subsequent to the merger of the latter's two subsidiaries KakaoPage and Kakao M.
History KakaoPage Corp.
Podotree Co, Ltd. was founded on July 20, 2010, as a subsidiary of Kakao, and launched KakaoPage three years later. On August 1, 2018, the company changed its corporate name to KakaoPage Corp.
Kakao M
Seoul Records, Inc. was established in October 1978 by , the founder of South Korea's leading educational company (formerly Sisa English). In 2005, the company was acquired by SK Telecom and relaunched as LOEN Entertainment, Inc. three years later, before being sold to Star Invest Holdings (a subsidiary of Affinity Equity Partners).
In January 2016, it was taken over by Kakao and renamed again as Kakao M Corp. in December 2017.
In October 2020, the company expanded in Asia by launching a Thailand-based subsidiary called Kakao M Asia (Private) Co., Ltd. (currently Kakao Entertainment Asia Co., Ltd.).
Merger as Kakao Entertainment (2021–present) and reorganisation In December 2020, Kakao was reported to be considering a merger of its content subsidiaries Kakao Page and Kakao M ahead of Kakao Page's planned initial public offering. The proposed combination was intended to consolidate Kakao's webtoon, web novel, music and video businesses and strengthen the value of its content intellectual property. At the time, the two companies had combined 2019 revenue of approximately and operating income of about . The merger was also reported in the context of Google's planned expansion of its in-app payment fees, which was expected to affect Kakao's digital-content businesses.
In January 2021, the boards of Kakao Page and Kakao M formally approved the merger, creating Kakao Entertainment. The merger was completed on March 1, 2021, with the new company combining Kakao Page's webtoon and web novel intellectual property and digital platforms with Kakao M's music, film, television, performance and talent-management businesses. The resulting company comprised approximately 50 subsidiaries and affiliates and was established to integrate content production and distribution and expand internationally.
In May, Kakao Entertainment agreed to acquire U.S.-based serialized-fiction platform Radish for approximately US$440 million. Founded in 2016, Radish specialized in mobile fiction and serialized storytelling, with a catalogue that included original works and content from Korean and other international creators. The acquisition followed Kakao Entertainment's intended to expand its intellectual-property business and presence in the North American market, and a part of Kakao Entertainment's broader international expansion in digital storytelling. Later in 2021, the company also acquired U.S. webtoon platform Tapas, further expanding its North American webtoon and web novel operations.
In July 2021, Kakao Entertainment and Melon Company approved a merger, which was completed on 1 September 2021 following shareholder approval. Melon joined Kakao Entertainment as a company-in-company (CIC), with Lee Je-wook appointed to lead the Melon business. The merger combined Kakao Entertainment's content production and intellectual property businesses with Melon's digital music platform, strengthening its music distribution and artist-related operations.
In September 2021, Kakao Entertainment announced the merger of its music-label subsidiaries Play M Entertainment and Cre.ker Entertainment, named IST Entertainment. The merger was intended to consolidate the companies' artist and production capabilities within Kakao Entertainment's multi-label system and was scheduled for completion by the end of the year. Play M represented artists including Apink, Huh Gak, Victon and Weeekly, while Cre.ker represented The Boyz. The new label was jointly led by Play M's Jang Hyun-jin and Cre.ker's Yoon Young-ro.
In September 2026, Kakao Entertainment announced plans to wind down Tapas, following the closure of Radish in 2025. Kakao Entertainment had acquired Tapas and Radish in 2021 for a combined approximately , but subsequently scaled back its strategy of directly operating content platforms in North America. Tapas had previously recorded a goodwill impairment in 2023. The closure forms part of a broader restructuring in which Kakao Entertainment plans to consolidate its webtoon and web novel services around KakaoPage by the end of 2026. The company said the integration would combine content, user data, artificial intelligence and operational capabilities across its platforms. Its international strategy is increasingly focused on intellectual property and established businesses such as Piccoma in Japan rather than direct operation of overseas platforms. The restructuring coincides with Kakao's proposed 2027 corporate split into Kakao AI and Kakao X. Kakao Entertainment is expected to become part of Kakao X, alongside other entertainment and investment businesses, with the company pursuing further efficiency measures and consolidation of its content operations.
Divisions Page Company Headed by co-CEO Joy Lee, the Kakao Entertainment's Page Company is in charge of the company's web fiction publishing and web development business. It is situated in Pangyo, Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province.
M Company Headed by co-CEO , the Kakao Entertainment's M Company is in charge of the company's entertainment and mass media business. Its headquarters is in Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu in Seoul.
Subsidiaries Under the Page Company AdPage Daon Creative KW Books Kiwi Vine RS Media Radish Media Samyang C&C Soundist Entertainment Tapas Media Yeondam
Under the M Company Entertainment companies Antenna Music EDAM Entertainment High Up Entertainment Starship Entertainment Starship X Highline Entertainment
Talent companies Awesome ENT BH Entertainment J.Wide Company King Kong by Starship Management SOOP Ready Entertainment VAST Entertainment & Media
Production companies 3Y Corporation Baram Pictures Dolphiners Films GRAYGO Maison de Baja Kross Pictures Logos Film Mega Monster Moonlight Film ootb Studio Sanai Pictures Shownote Story & Pictures Media Studio K11O Zip Cinema
Assets Buildings Jungsuck Building (Seoul) - headquarters of the Kakao Entertainment M Company The Kakao Entertainment M Company also owns a building at Samseong-dong in Seoul, where the headquarters of IST Entertainment and Flex M are located.
Internet properties 1theK 1theK Live 1theK Originals 1theK Style (coming soon) Berriz KakaoPage KakaoPage Indonesia (formerly Neobazar) (Indonesia) KakaoTV Kakao Webtoon Kakao Webtoon (South Korea) (formerly Daum Webtoon) Kakao Webtoon (Indonesia) Kakao Webtoon (Taiwan) Kakao Webtoon (Thailand) Melon Muse (mobile audition application) Radish (US) Wuxiaworld (US) Tapas (US)
Works Discography
Filmography
TV and web series +Drama credits of Kakao Entertainment and its subsidiariesYearTitleNetworkCredited as English Korean/Other language Screenwriter Director Producer 2021 Dr. Brain Dr. 브레인 Apple TV+ Kim Jee-woon 2022 Business Proposal 사내맞선 SBS TV Park Seon-ho Roppongi Class 六本木クラス / 롯폰기 클라쓰 TV Asahi Koji Tokuo 2023 The Worst of Evil 최악의 악 Disney+ Jang Min-suk Han Dong-wook Castaway Diva 무인도의 디바 tvN Oh Chung-hwan 2023-2024 Gyeongseong Creature 경성크리처 Netflix Kang Eun-kyung 2025 Secret Relationships 비밀사이 Lee Yoo-jin Yang Kyung-hee Karma 악연 Netflix Lee Il-hyung Lee Il-hyung Crushology 101 바니와 오빠들 MBC TV Kim Ji-hoon Kakao Entertainment Nine Puzzles 나인 퍼즐 Disney+ Lee Eun-mi You and Everything Else 은중과 상연 Netflix Song Hye-jin Jo Young-min Kakao Entertainment 2026 Boyfriend on Demand 월간남친 Netflix Namgung Do-young Still Shining 샤이닝 JTBC Lee Sook-yeon Kim Yoon-jin Perfect Crown 21세기 대군 부인 MBC TV Yoo Ah-in The Wonderfools 원더풀스 Netflix Heo Da-joong TBA Solo Leveling 나 혼자만 레벨업 Netflix
Baram Pictures +Drama credits of Baram PicturesYearTitleNetworkCredited as English Korean/Other language Screenwriter Director Producer 2021 Kingdom: Ashin of the North 킹덤: 아신전 Netflix Kim Eun-hee Kim Seong-hun Jirisan 지리산 tvN Kim Eun-hee Lee Eung-bok 2022 Behind Every Star 연예인 매니저로 살아남기 tvN Baek Seung-ryong 2023 레이스 Disney+ Not Others 남남 Min Seon-ae Lee Min-woo Song of the Bandits 도적: 칼의 소리 Netflix Han Jung-hoon 2024 When the Phone Rings 지금 거신 전화는 MBC TV Kim Ji-woon 2025 When Life Gives You Tangerines 폭싹 속았수다 Netflix Lim Sang-choon Kim Won-seok Walking on Thin Ice 은수 좋은 날 KBS 2TV Jeon Young-shin Song Hyun-wook Logos Film
Mega Monster
Moonlight Film +Drama credits of Moonlight FilmYearTitleNetworkCredited as English Korean/Other language Screenwriter Director Producer 2022 Narco-Saints 수리남 Netflix Yoon Jong-bin
Sanai Pictures +Drama credits of Sanai PicturesYearTitleNetworkCredited as English Korean/Other language Screenwriter Director Producer 2024 Gangnam B-Side 강남 비-사이드 Disney+ Story & Pictures Media
Zip Cinema
Locations Kakao Entertainment Page Company: Twosun World Building 8/F, 221, Pangyoyeok-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea Kakao Entertainment M Company: Jungsuck Building, 17, Teheran-ro 103-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Legal matters Tachiyomi, A free and open-source Manga, Manhwa etc. reader app, was forced to stop development after Kakao Entertainment issued a cease-and-desist letter to the developers.
ReaperScan, A free and fan translated Manhwa and Web Novel site, was forced to shut down after Kakao Entertainment issued a cease-and-desist letter to the site admin.
Kotatsu, a free and open-source manga reader for Android, announced its shutdown in November 2025, following "threatening actions" from Kakao Entertainment and changes to Google's sideloading policies.
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