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Kakao founder makes surprise appearance at new employee orientation after two years out of spotlight

Published: 16 Jan. 2026, 15:52 Updated: 19 Jan. 2026, 14:00

Kim Beom-su, founder of tech giant Kakao, speaks at a company training session for new employees at the company's AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on Jan. 15. [KAKAO]

Kakao founder Kim Beom-su made his first public appearance in two years on Thursday, months after he and the company were acquitted in a stock manipulation case now under review by an appeals court.

Kim, who serves as head of Kakao’s Future Initiative Center, appeared without prior notice at an orientation for newly hired staff at its AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi, according to the company on Friday. He spoke with employees, took questions and posed for photos during the visit.

Responding to a question about how AI will change the way people work, Kim said “this is a time when anyone can directly build what they imagine.”

“Any task that is repeated more than twice should be automated with AI, and if you have an idea, I hope you try building it yourself at least once a week,” he said.

Kim described the AI era as both a risk and an opportunity, saying “what matters most is clearly identifying what will change and what will not.”

“Properly framing questions and problems will be the key task,” he said.

Kakao founder Kim Beom-su, second from right, poses with company employees at a training session in the company's AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on Jan. 15. [KAKAO]

The appearance marked Kim’s first public engagement since 2024. Kim and Kakao had faced allegations that the company manipulated shares of K-pop agency SM Entertainment to block an acquisition attempt by rival entertainment group HYBE.

A lower court acquitted Kim, other company executives and two corporate entities — Kakao and Kakao Entertainment — in a first-instance ruling in October last year, but prosecutors have appealed the decision and a second trial is underway.

Kim stepped down as co-chair of Kakao’s Corporate Alignment Council, the group’s top decision-making body, in March 2025, citing health reasons.

A Kakao official said the visit did not signal a return to formal management duties, describing it as “a casual visit to encourage employees hired through Kakao’s first group-wide recruitment.”

Kakao is the operator of KakaoTalk, Korea’s most widely-used messaging app, and has expanded into businesses including digital banking and ride-hailing through a network of affiliates.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM MIN-JEONG [[email protected]]