The Kakao Union is set to conduct its first strike at the company headquarters on June 10. While the Kakao Mobility union previously staged a strike last June, this marks the first strike at the main office.
According to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' Kakao branch, the union will hold a partial strike from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 10 and will organize a rally for members in the Pangyo area of Seongnam.
The strike will involve unions from five subsidiaries, including Kakao's headquarters, KakaoPay, Kakao Enterprise, DK Tech, and XL Games. The headquarters union secured the right to strike after failing to reach an agreement during the second mediation session with the Gyeonggi Provincial Labor Commission on May 28. The other four subsidiary unions also voted in favor of strike action.
During the strike, the union plans to condemn the management's operational practices and failures. They are also demanding job security, which has been jeopardized by ongoing sales and spin-offs, as well as restructuring. Additionally, they are advocating for improvements to the compensation system, which they believe has not been adequately addressed during negotiations.
Industry sources indicate that the union plans to march approximately 800 meters from the Kakao Pangyo headquarters to Youth Space from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The march will take place on one lane of Daewangpangyo Road.
The union has notified police that around 2,000 members are expected to participate in the rally from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. However, police estimate actual participation to be around 600. Approximately 80 officers will be deployed to manage traffic safety during the event.
Despite the strike, significant disruptions to key services such as KakaoTalk and KakaoPay are not anticipated. The nature of the IT industry allows for essential personnel to maintain operations, and many service systems are automated.
Kakao has previously stated its commitment to ensuring stable service operations through essential staffing and automation of key systems. A company representative affirmed, "We will do our best to maintain stable service operations."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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