Platform · Platforms
Kakao Entertainment
Kakao Entertainment connects to Kakao and the broader platforms story around it.
Search
kakao
Articles
· Ryan General
K-Pop Songs Return to Spotify After New Deal With Kakao Entertainment
Hundreds of songs by K-pop artists from Kakao Entertainment (previously known as KakaoM) are returning to Spotify after the two companies finally settled on a new global licensing agreement. Expired license: K-pop fans were left outraged after many of their favorite songs…
· Bryan Ke
KakaoTalk Founder Promises to Donate Over Half of His $9.4 Billion Fortune
Kim Beom-su, the billionaire founder of messaging app KakaoTalk, has promised to donate more than half of his wealth to help “solve social issues.” A generous donation: Kim, who is worth around $9.4 billion, made the promise in a recent message sent to employees, according to…
· Editorial Staff
Amid California mass shootings, older Asian Americans feared to be radicalized by ‘unreliable’ information
With recent mass shootings in California zeroing in on elderly Asian Americans as suspects, community members are left shaken, fearful and desperate for answers — leading to some placing the blame on a trend of radicalization bred by false and unreliable information. The latest…
· Ines Shin
Spotify study explains why BTS’ ‘Dynamite’ is one of the most popular songs to fall asleep to
A study of nearly 1,000 sleep playlists on Spotify has found that songs by BTS and Billie Eilish are among the most popular for listeners to fall asleep to. Researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark conducted a study on the characteristics of music associated with sleep by…
· Daniel Anderson
K-pop Weekly: Red Velvet’s Seulgi goes solo, boy band comebacks and cheating allegations
This week marks the start of a month chock full of comebacks and releases from just about every K-pop act you can think of. NextShark has rounded up some of the most prominent ones. Music Releases
· Rebecca Moon
Korean entertainment CEO allegedly forced female trainees to send him risqué photos every week
An investigation has been launched into Lee Sul, the CEO of South Korean entertainment agency LPA Entertainment, who allegedly forced female trainees to send photos of themselves solely in their underwear every week. A complaint filed in June stated that Lee collected “body…
· Rebecca Moon
‘Solo Leveling’ webtoon artist Jang ‘Dubu’ Sung-rak dies
Jang “Dubu” Sung-rak, the South Korean artist of the popular webtoon “Solo Leveling,” died on Saturday due to a cerebral hemorrhage. Redice Studio explained on Twitter that Jang was suffering from a chronic illness and thanked readers and the community for cherishing his work.…
· Bryan Ke
‘Single’s Inferno’ star returns to YouTube months after fake designer clothing scandal
South Korean influencer Song Ji-a returned to YouTube five months after taking a break from social media. Song, 25, was embroiled in a scandal after several internet sleuths discovered she was wearing fake designer clothing on Netflix’s “Single’s Inferno,” a South Korean dating…
· Rebecca Moon
‘The Jinx’s Lover’: New teaser released for KBS K-drama starring Seohyun of Girls’ Generation
South Korean TV and media broadcaster KBS has released a new teaser for the upcoming K-drama series “The Jinx’s Lover.” The series will feature Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun as Lee Seul-bi, a woman with an ability to see a person’s future, and Na In-woo of “Mystic Pop-Up Bar” as…
· Rebecca Moon
Netflix drops trailer for romantic K-drama series ‘Welcome To Wedding Hell’ featuring Lee Jin-wook
Netflix has dropped a new trailer for the upcoming 12-episode romantic K-drama series “Welcome To Wedding Hell” on Sunday. Featuring Lee Jin-wook of “Bulgasal: Immortal Souls” and Lee Yeon-hee of “East of Eden,” the upcoming show follows a couple who begin to face problems as…
· Rebecca Moon
Seoul’s first K-pop concert venue, set for 2025, will have a max capacity of 28,000 people
South Korean IT company Kakao and the Seoul Metropolitan Government have agreed to construct the first K-pop arena in Seoul. The arena, named Seoul Arena, will begin construction in June of this year and is expected to be completed in October 2025 at an estimated cost of $257…
· Bryan Ke
Spotify Loses Hundreds of K-Pop Songs After License Expires
Music streaming giant Spotify has removed hundreds of K-pop songs from its library on Sunday, leaving many listeners outraged. The Swedish company confirmed to NME that it has removed specific K-pop songs because its licensing deal with Korean distributor Kakao M has expired.
· Ryan General
Korean Boy, 12, Convinces Mom to Let Him Trade Stocks, Makes Over $13,000 in Gains
A 12-year-old boy named Kwon Joon has become known as South Korea’s new retail trading star after earning impressive returns of 43% from his investments. The young retail investor, the term for an investor who doesn’t trade professionally, started buying stocks last year and…
· Editorial Staff
Meet ‘The Korean Falcon’ MMA Fighter With a 9-1 Career Record
In his home country of South Korea, Sung Bin Jo is already a pretty big deal. The dashing 28-year old has looks that can rival any K-Pop star, and that has translated to gigs as an image model on television and magazine ads, as well as appearances on shows such as “Bad Papa” and…
· Carl Samson
K-Pop Stars Sentenced for Raping Intoxicated Women, Sharing Sex Videos
A pair of male K-pop idols received prison sentences on Friday for raping women who were too drunk to resist. Singer-songwriter Jung Joon-young, 30, was sentenced to six years behind bars, while former F.T. Island member Choi Jong-hoon, 29, was sentenced to five years, the Korea…
· Jin Hyun
Lash Perms for Asian Eyes: How Do They Work and Are They Really Worth It?
Monolids are such versatile features that look great with or without dramatic lashes. But admit it, most of us have dreamed of having long, luscious lashes at least once in our lives. This is where the unhealthy obsession with fake lashes and lash extensions comes from and as a…
· Carl Samson
Third Korean Star Quits Industry, Admits to Watching Video in Wild Sex Scandal
A third K-pop idol announced his exit from the industry this week amid a spiraling scandal that began from the exposé of an alleged prostitution scheme and spy porn sharing in group conversations. In an Instagram post on Thursday, Yong Jun-hyung, 29, confessed that he had…
· Carl Samson
K-Pop Star Seungri Retires After Being Charged With Running Prostitution Ring
K-pop superstar Seungri announced his retirement from the industry — and consequently his part in legendary boy group BIGBANG — amid allegations that he supplied prostitutes to rich foreigners investing in his business in 2015. The 28-year-old entrepreneur, who is scheduled to…
· Carl Samson
South Korean Students Allegedly Get Fat Together to Dodge Military Service
Twelve college students in South Korea have been accused of deliberately making themselves overweight to dodge the country’s mandatory military service. According to the Military Manpower Administration, the students consumed pizza and hamburgers five times a day, as well as…
· Ryan General
Notorious Sex Tourist Releases New Video Picking Up Women in South Korea
After harassing women in Thailand and Taiwan, the allegedly British sex tourist who goes by Explorer Nick is now apparently chasing random women in the streets of South Korea. The man, who appears to be a disciple of David Campbell, aka “David Bond,” has been identified as Nick…
K-dramas → Naver
K-dramas connect to Naver and Kakao through the apps, stories, and adaptations that feed shows later on.
If a show blows up on streaming after first living as a comic or web novel, this is the path you are looking at.
People & Works
Open
Platform · Platforms
Kakao Games
Kakao Games connects to Kakao and the broader platforms story around it.
Platform · Platforms
Kakao Webtoon
Kakao Webtoon connects to Kakao and the broader platforms story around it.
Platform · Platforms
KakaoPay
KakaoPay connects to Kakao and the broader platforms story around it.
Platform · Platforms
KakaoTalk
KakaoTalk is the near-monopoly messenger that became Korea's operating system for daily life, giving Kakao a chokehold on how 50M Koreans pay, chat, hail cabs and stream music.