The Kakao branch of the Korean Chemical, Textile & Food Workers’ Union laid out its demands and walkout schedule in a statement on Monday, marking the latest step toward the messaging giant's first-ever headquarters strike.
The union said its core demand was to halt the sales, spin-offs and restructuring it blames on years of management missteps, and to secure stable employment. It also called for an overhaul of a pay system it said rewards executives lavishly even as their decisions fuel worker insecurity.
"We are well aware of deep concern over possible disruptions or problems with KakaoTalk and other services so closely woven into daily life," the union said, adding it would hold the four-hour stoppage and a rally in Pangyo on Wednesday, June 10.
The union signaled it could sharpen its action, saying it had opted for a limited walkout rather than an immediate all-out strike and would ratchet up pressure depending on the course of further talks.
The move follows the collapse of a second mediation session at the Gyeonggi National Labor Relations Commission on May 27, which handed the union the legal right to strike.
Industry officials see little chance of an extreme outage such as a KakaoTalk blackout even if the union escalates, noting that most platform systems are automated and that non-union and standby staff can keep maintenance and operations running.
The standoff comes amid a swell of labor unrest across South Korea's tech and chip sectors, where workers are pressing for a bigger share of profits. Samsung Electronics' union has sought 15 percent of chip-division operating profit, while Hyundai Motor's union has demanded 30 percent of net profit in its 2026 wage talks.
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