Chung issued the apology through an internal notice Thursday, saying she was "sincerely sorry" for failing to quickly dispel growing uncertainty within the company.
"Negotiations have dragged on, and I take seriously the fact that our crew members have had to wait this long," she said, using Kakao's in-house term for employees.
The CEO struck a conciliatory tone, stressing that labor and management ultimately share the same direction and must work through their differences through dialogue. She also hinted at a partial organizational reshuffle, saying the company needed to reestablish a stable operational framework and reset its service priorities.
Mediation talks at the Gyeonggi National Labor Relations Commission broke down late Wednesday after running until 11 p.m., leaving both sides without an agreement. The failure hands the union the legal standing to launch strike action, with about 1,200 union members set to march through the Pangyo Station area on June 10.
The union said in a statement that it would not entirely close the door on further dialogue, but added it could "no longer resolve the matter through waiting and patience alone," and would move ahead with preparations for a June strike. The union accused management of passive bargaining, unilaterally paying out bonuses mid-negotiation and repeatedly swapping its lead representatives — moves it said had eroded trust.
The central dispute centers on whether Kakao's annual 5-million-won restricted stock unit grants should count as performance pay, a classification the union firmly rejects. Kakao said it would keep communication channels open with the union even after the mediation process concluded.
Shares of Kakao traded at 38,700 won per stock on 1:22 p.m., 4.44 percent lower than a day before and roughly 37 percent lower than earlier this year.
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