Kakao Entertainment

Lore & Background

Kakao Entertainment was formed through the merger of two Kakao subsidiaries: KakaoPage Corp. and Kakao M Corp. KakaoPage originated as Podotree Co., Ltd., founded on July 20, 2010, which launched the KakaoPage platform in 2013 and changed its name to KakaoPage Corp. in 2018. Kakao M began as Seoul Records, Inc., established in October 1978 by Min Young-bin, later acquired by SK Telecom in 2005 and renamed LOEN Entertainment, then sold to Star Invest Holdings. Kakao took over in January 2016, renaming it Kakao M Corp. in December 2017. In October 2020, Kakao M expanded into Asia with a Thailand-based subsidiary, Kakao M Asia (now Kakao Entertainment Asia).

The merger was proposed in December 2020, seen as a response to Google's new app marketplace policy. Plans were announced on January 25, 2021, with KakaoPage Corp. as the surviving entity. The merger completed on March 1, 2021, and Kakao Entertainment was formally founded a day later. In May 2021, it acquired Radish Fiction for $440 million. In July 2021, a merger with Melon Company was announced, expected to complete in September 2021. On September 17, 2021, Kakao Entertainment announced the future merger of Play M Entertainment and Cre.ker Entertainment, which became IST Entertainment on November 12, 2021.

Reader's Guide

Kakao Entertainment represents a major consolidation in South Korean digital content and entertainment, combining web fiction and webtoon platforms (KakaoPage, Kakao Webtoon) with music and media assets (Melon, Starship Entertainment, IST Entertainment). Its formation was partly driven by strategic responses to global platform policies, notably Google's app marketplace changes. The company's extensive subsidiary network spans talent agencies, production companies, and internet properties, making it a key player in the Korean Wave (Hallyu). Its Page Company and M Company divisions handle distinct business lines, with the M Company headquartered in Seoul's Gangnam district. The company's aggressive acquisition strategy, including Radish Fiction and the Melon merger, underscores its ambition to dominate the digital entertainment ecosystem. However, its enforcement of intellectual property rights has drawn attention, as seen in cease-and-desist actions against free reading apps like Tachiyomi and ReaperScan, and the shutdown of Kotatsu in November 2025.

Did You Know?

• Kakao Entertainment was formed from the merger of KakaoPage Corp. and Kakao M Corp., completed on March 1, 2021.
• The company acquired Radish Fiction, a serialized fiction app, for $440 million in May 2021.
• Kakao Entertainment's M Company headquarters is located in the Jungsuck Building in Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
• The free and open-source manga reader Tachiyomi was forced to stop development after Kakao Entertainment issued a cease-and-desist letter.