Kakao executive axed for social media outburst, workplace conduct

Kim Jeong-ho, former head of management at Kakao's Corporate Alignment Council. [YONHAP]

Kim Jeong-ho, a Kakao executive, was fired only six months after he was brought on to reform the IT company as it faces its biggest crisis since its founding.

Kim has been dismissed from Kakao's Corporate Alignment (CA) Council, an independent body that oversees internal interests. He also will step down as chairman and a board member at Brian Impact, a private charity foundation launched by Kakao founder Kim Beom-su.

"The selection process for a successor as chair and board member [of the Brian Impact Foundation] is in progress," the foundation was quoted as saying in the JoongAng Ilbo. "As soon as a successor is decided, the handover process will commence."

Kakao informed its employees on Friday that the decision to dismiss the executive was made for multiple reasons, including the spreading of groundless rumors that tarnished the company reputation, the incitement of workplace bullying and a violation of guidelines on SNS activities and media management.

He was reported back in November to have used profanity during a meeting to choose a construction firm for the company's Jeju project. The former executive claimed that while he insisted on hiring a local builder, he was informed that the decision was already made per custom, which he felt did not conform to a proper bidding process.

While making an apology, he took to social media to publicly slam the company for its opaque decision-making process on top of revealing what he asserted were many other forms of internal corruption.

"It was a competition only on the outside and there was a special system to hand a certain building company the deal," one of his posts read.

Subsequent investigations into his accusations, however, found that most, including what he claimed was corruption regarding the Jeju project winner, were false.

Kakao has said that the sacked executive has not appealed against the decision.

The head of management position he held at the CA Council has been permanently eliminated.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]