[Q&A] Kakao's Namgung Hoon: "We Will Unite 5 Billion Users Worldwide as One"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] "We will unite all services of the Kakao community into the Kakao Universe to create a new world where all interests in the world are connected through Kakao."

On the 7th, Namgoong Hoon, CEO of Kakao, presented 'Kakao Universe' as Kakao's metaverse vision. The goal is to offer a diverse metaverse environment that goes beyond text, images, and videos to include virtual reality.

Accordingly, Kakao will introduce 'Open Link,' which connects non-face-to-face communication centered on interests, and expand KakaoTalk's role in non-purposeful communication to build the universe. It will also establish a B2C2C (a combination of business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer) ecosystem between creators and users. Through AI-based 3D open metaverse platform 'Colorverse' and others, Kakao plans to realize the vision of the Kakao Universe.

CEO Namgoong said, "Just as individual heroes in Marvel come together to form a large universe, we will unite the services of the Kakao community into the Kakao Universe," adding, "Kakao aims not only for 50 million users in Korea but also for 5 billion users worldwide."

Below is a Q&A with CEO Namgoong.

▲ What is the specific schedule for service introduction?

= We expect to show changes by the end of this year. We will not launch multiple services simultaneously. Since it is based on the already existing Open Chat service, new features will be added to the existing service.

▲ The Kakao Universe revealed today seems conceptually different from existing metaverses. Why do you consider it a metaverse service?

= If we see the metaverse as a major axis of new change, the B2C2C area is very important. In fact, the B2C2C change is a significant transformation in the metaverse. The metaverse people talk about now may refer to what is visible, but building a system where characters in the metaverse act and think autonomously is most appropriately developed based on text. Text can actually be the foundation of the metaverse. Kakao is strong in text, and focusing more on text is a good approach to entering the metaverse era.

▲ What differentiates Kakao Universe from global platforms?

= When connecting the Open Link of the webtoon 'What's Wrong with Secretary Kim,' which is serviced in Japan, content users in Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and other countries can be connected through a single link. It becomes possible to connect in one chat room. We are also considering automatic translation features in the future. Users interested in common content can meet in chat rooms through Open Link.

▲ What are the specific strategies to secure overseas users?

= Since KakaoTalk itself is based on personal phone numbers, there are difficulties in signing up, especially for overseas users. Therefore, Open Chat will ultimately be operated completely separate from the KakaoTalk app. In that process, it will be operated similarly to Facebook and Facebook Messenger. Ultimately, we will ensure it has independence as an individual service.

▲ Any additional plans related to scalability as an interest-based community?

= Since we operate various services, it is advantageous to gather interests based on them. For example, when searching for your residence on Kakao Map, currently only your apartment appears. In the future, links will be connected to the apartment, enabling real-time chat with residents living there. When streaming IU's song 'Through the Night,' entering through Open Link opens a channel to communicate in real-time with others listening to the song.

▲ There are concerns that adding features might make KakaoTalk very heavy. What are the countermeasures?

= The ultimate direction is to separate the Open Chat service into a separate app from KakaoTalk. We see Open Chat as central when going global. We believe we can address the concerns to some extent.

▲ Plans for monetization?

= It is still under discussion. For now, we do not plan to make Open Chat entirely paid. We are considering monetization centered on the operators of Open Chat. In fact, some of them could be celebrities. We are thinking about ways to share revenue from the content and information they produce.

▲ To enable domestic and overseas fans to communicate in Open Link, language barriers must be overcome. How will this be addressed?

= Kakao Enterprise is currently investing significant resources to advance translation technology. Internally, the technology has been greatly enhanced.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.