Kakao union to halt work for a day as wage talks stall

By Kim Dong-young Posted : June 26, 2026, 16:25 Updated : June 26, 2026, 16:25
Kakao union members hold up placards during a strike held near the company's office in Pangyo, June 10, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun
 
SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - Kakao's labor union will press ahead with a one-day "log-off day" on June 29, halting work across the South Korean tech giant's affiliates after negotiations with management failed to yield a wage and collective bargaining agreement.

Members at five entities — Kakao, Kakao Pay, Kakao Enterprise, DK Techin and XL Games — will use annual leave or paid days off to step away from their duties for the day and log out of company work systems, the union said.

Talks are continuing but have yet to reach a level acceptable to the union.

The action follows the company's first-ever strike on June 10, when about 1,000 workers at Kakao's headquarters and roughly 1,500 across all affiliates joined a four-hour partial walkout.

The union has signaled that further industrial action could follow, though it has not settled on whether to mount a full-day or general strike.

At the heart of the dispute is performance-based pay.

The union has accused management of awarding executives tens of billions of won in bonuses on the back of last year's strong earnings while offering employees an opaque, far smaller package, and is also demanding job security and the resignation of senior leaders.

"Kakao's real reform must be made by the crew, not the executives," union chapter chief Seo Seung-wook told a rally on June 10, using the company's term for its staff.

Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.