이 기사는 2022년 02월 28일 08:10 thebell 에 표출된 기사입니다.

Namgoong Hoon, Kakao Corp’s chief executive nominee, has pledged that the corporate governance of Kakao would be different from that of conventional South Korean conglomerates, with the tech giant’s Corporate Alignment Center (CAC) focused on forming a unified strategy in a broader sense.

“Autonomy was at the center of the growth of Kakao affiliates in the past but concerns have been raised since last year that there is an absence of the group’s control tower,” Namgoong said in an online press conference on Thursday.


Kakao Mobility abruptly increased service fees last fall, sparking criticism over misuse of market dominance. KakaoPay’s executives exercised their stock options and cashed out on a large scale shortly after the company’s public listing in November. These issues have put the broader Kakao group under fire from the public and lawmakers.

In response to the criticism, Kakao launched the CAC earlier this year as a pivot for the group’s corporate governance.

Responding to a question that compared the CAC to Samsung’s shuttered Corporate Strategy Office, Namgoong said that the organizational change was not to run Kakao like the country’s conventional conglomerates, but “to address problems caused by the absence of the group’s control tower”.

The Corporate Strategy Office, which was shut down in 2017, had huge authority and influence over the broader Samsung group, with hundreds of talented employees picked from various affiliates.

The CAC is responsible for matters related to future growth strategy of Kakao affiliates and their contribution to society, with each task led by Kim Sung-soo, Kakao Entertainment CEO, and Hong Eun-taek, former CEO of Kakao Commerce.

The CAC’s heads will hold the vice chairman title. That was decided by Kakao in launching the center to let its heads have greater power externally.

Internally, however, Kakao pursues horizontal relationships between employees and their superiors, with no traditional titles used in day-to-day works. Even founder Kim Beom-su, who chairs the Kakao Corp’s board, does not hold any title within the group and uses his English nickname, Brian.

Both Kim and Hong, co-heads of the CAC, are in their 60s. This contrasts with many conventional conglomerates transitioning to younger leadership. The appointment reflects Kakao’s desire to balance its leadership team with more experienced and skilled executives as its business in various areas grows rapidly.

Namgoong said, with help of Kim and Hong, he will more focus on business operations and new business opportunities such as the metaverse. (Reporting by Seul-gi Kim)