Kakao Entertainment

Kakao Entertainment Corp. is a South Korean entertainment, mass-media, and publishing company within the Kakao group. It was formally established in March 2021 through the merger of KakaoPage Corp. and Kakao M Corp., bringing together two businesses with different but complementary positions in the content economy. KakaoPage had developed digital publishing and serialized-content services, while Kakao M descended from Seoul Records and had accumulated activities in recorded music, distribution, artist management, broadcasting, and audiovisual production. The combined company was designed to connect intellectual property development with production, distribution, and monetization across multiple formats. The company’s Page Company manages web fiction, webtoon-related activities, and the development and publication of digital intellectual property. Its international portfolio has included platforms and businesses associated with Kakao Webtoon, KakaoPage, Tapas, Radish, and Wuxiaworld. These services support serialized fiction, comics, and adaptations, allowing stories to move between digital publishing, television, film, and other entertainment formats. Kakao Entertainment’s acquisition of Radish Fiction in 2021 expanded its presence in English-language serialized fiction, while its broader international activity has included operations or services in North America and several Asian markets. Its M Company focuses on music and broader entertainment operations. Activities associated with this side of the business include music production and distribution, artist representation, labels, talent agencies, audiovisual production, live performance, and digital media. The company’s assets and affiliated businesses have included 1theK, KakaoTV, Melon, Starship Entertainment, Antenna, EDAM Entertainment, High Up Entertainment, and a range of management and production companies. The exact structure and status of individual affiliates can change as Kakao reorganizes its entertainment portfolio. Kakao Entertainment’s business model is based on operating across the content value chain rather than concentrating on a single medium. It can develop or acquire intellectual property, publish it digitally, adapt it for screen production, distribute music or video, and connect content with artists and global platforms. This integrated approach reflects the growing importance of Korean music, drama, film, webtoons, and web novels in international markets. The company also benefits from its relationship with Kakao’s wider technology and platform ecosystem, although it remains a distinct entertainment subsidiary. The company’s origins extend well before the 2021 merger. Podotree was established in 2010 and launched KakaoPage in 2013; it adopted the name KakaoPage Corp. in 2018. The music and entertainment lineage traces to Seoul Records, founded in 1978, later acquired by SK Telecom and relaunched as LOEN Entertainment. After ownership changes, Kakao acquired the company in 2016 and renamed it Kakao M in 2017. Kakao Entertainment therefore combines a digital publishing lineage with a long-established music and media lineage. It remains an active South Korean content company with operations and partnerships extending beyond Korea.

Kakao Entertainment’s corporate history combines the development of Kakao’s digital publishing platforms with the evolution of a major South Korean music and media business. The digital-content lineage began with Podotree, established on July 20, 2010. The company launched KakaoPage three years later, creating a mobile-oriented service for serialized web novels, comics, and other digital content. In 2018, Podotree changed its corporate name to KakaoPage Corp. The KakaoPage business helped establish a model in which stories could be released episodically, monetized through digital platforms, and later adapted into other entertainment formats. The company’s M Company lineage reaches back to Seoul Records, established in October 1978 by Min Young-bin, founder of the YBM educational group. Seoul Records developed a long-standing role in the Korean recorded-music business. SK Telecom acquired the company in 2005 and relaunched it as LOEN Entertainment in 2008. It was subsequently sold to Star Invest Holdings, an affiliate of Affinity Equity Partners. Kakao acquired the business in January 2016, adding a substantial music and entertainment operation to its technology and platform group. In December 2017, LOEN Entertainment was renamed Kakao M Corp. Kakao M expanded its regional ambitions in 2020 through the creation of a Thailand-based subsidiary, originally called Kakao M Asia and later identified as Kakao Entertainment Asia. During the same period, KakaoPage and Kakao M were positioned as complementary businesses: one focused on digital intellectual property and publishing, and the other on music, artists, video, and mass media. In December 2020, KakaoPage proposed combining the two subsidiaries. The planned merger was also viewed in the context of changes to mobile-app-market policies that could affect platform-linked content businesses. The companies announced the unified Kakao Entertainment structure and name on January 25, 2021. KakaoPage Corp. was designated as the surviving legal entity, and the merger was completed on March 1. Kakao Entertainment formally began operating on March 2, 2021. The new company was organized around Page Company and M Company. Page Company was responsible for web fiction and web development activities, while M Company covered entertainment and mass media. This structure gave the company a framework for connecting story properties, creators, artists, production companies, and distribution channels. Expansion followed quickly. In May 2021, Kakao Entertainment acquired Radish Fiction, a serialized-fiction application co-founded by Lee Seung-yoon, extending its international publishing reach. In July, Kakao Entertainment announced a planned merger with Melon Company, bringing the group’s music-streaming service closer to the company’s wider music and entertainment operations. The company also continued to manage or develop a broad network of labels, talent agencies, production companies, and digital properties. These included 1theK, KakaoTV, Kakao Webtoon, KakaoPage, Melon, Tapas, Radish, and Wuxiaworld, alongside businesses such as Starship Entertainment, Antenna, EDAM Entertainment, and numerous management and screen-production companies. The resulting organization is not limited to a single entertainment format. Its activities span music recording and distribution, artist management, webtoons, web novels, television and film production, digital video, live performance, and international content licensing. It has also used copyright enforcement to challenge services accused of distributing unauthorized comics or translated works. As affiliate ownership, platform branding, and internal divisions can change, the company’s subsidiary list should be treated as subject to ongoing corporate reorganization. Kakao Entertainment remains an active Kakao subsidiary headquartered in South Korea, with ambitions and operating links across Asian and Western content markets.

1. 2021KakaoPage and Kakao M announce their merger

   The companies announced the Kakao Entertainment name and merger plan on January 25.

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2. 2021Kakao Entertainment is formally established

   The merger was completed on March 1 and Kakao Entertainment began operating as a unified company on March 2.

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3. 2021Radish Fiction is acquired

   Kakao Entertainment acquired the serialized-fiction platform Radish Fiction in May.

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4. 2021Melon merger is announced

   Kakao Entertainment announced plans to merge with Melon Company in July.

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5. 2021IST Entertainment structure is announced

   Play M Entertainment and Cre.ker Entertainment moved toward a merger and announced the IST Entertainment name.

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6. 2020Kakao expands regional entertainment presence

   Kakao M established a Thailand-based subsidiary, initially named Kakao M Asia, to support regional expansion.

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7. 2018Podotree becomes KakaoPage Corp.

   The digital-content company changed its corporate name to KakaoPage Corp. on August 1.

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8. 2017LOEN Entertainment becomes Kakao M

   The acquired music and entertainment company adopted the Kakao M corporate name in December.

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9. 2016Kakao acquires the LOEN business

   Kakao took control of the entertainment and music business that had developed from Seoul Records and LOEN Entertainment.

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10. 2013KakaoPage launches

    Podotree launched KakaoPage, a digital platform for serialized content including web fiction and comics.

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11. 2010Podotree is founded

    Podotree was established as a Kakao subsidiary on July 20, beginning the digital-publishing lineage associated with KakaoPage.

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12. 1978Seoul Records is established

    Seoul Records was founded in South Korea, creating the corporate lineage that later passed through LOEN Entertainment and Kakao M into Kakao Entertainment.

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An integrated Korean content company linking digital intellectual property, music, artists, screen production, publishing, and international distribution.

• KakaoPageDigital publishing platform2013

  KakaoPage is a digital-content platform originating from Podotree’s publishing business. It is associated with serialized web novels, webtoons, comics, and other episodic content. Its importance to Kakao Entertainment lies not only in direct digital distribution but also in the development of intellectual property that can be licensed or adapted for screen productions and other formats.

• Kakao WebtoonWebtoon platform

  Kakao Webtoon is the company’s webtoon-focused digital publishing service. It developed from the Daum Webtoon business in South Korea and has been associated with localized services in markets including Indonesia, Taiwan, and Thailand. The platform provides a route for comics and story properties to reach readers and potentially become adaptations or licensed entertainment properties.

• MelonMusic streaming

  Melon is a South Korean digital-music service that became closely integrated with Kakao’s entertainment operations through the planned merger between Melon Company and Kakao Entertainment. It supports the music side of the group by connecting recorded-music distribution, listening, charting, and artist visibility within a major local platform.

• 1theKMusic and video media

  1theK is a Kakao Entertainment music-media brand and digital video property associated with Korean popular music. Its related services have included 1theK Live and 1theK Originals. The brand provides promotional and distribution channels for artists and music content, especially in online and international-facing environments.

• KakaoTVDigital video platform

  KakaoTV is a digital video property connected with Kakao’s media and entertainment activities. It provides a distribution and viewing environment for online video and web-based programming, complementing Kakao Entertainment’s production, talent, and content businesses.

• TapasInternational webcomic platform

  Tapas is an international digital comics and fiction platform included among Kakao Entertainment’s publishing-related assets. Its role is to connect creators and serialized content with readers outside Korea, particularly in English-language markets, and to broaden the international reach of Kakao’s intellectual-property portfolio.

• RadishSerialized fiction platform

  Radish is a serialized-fiction application associated with Kakao Entertainment after the company acquired Radish Fiction in 2021. The service focuses on episodic storytelling and supports Kakao’s strategy of expanding web-fiction publishing and adaptation opportunities in English-language markets.

• WuxiaworldDigital fiction platform

  Wuxiaworld is an international digital-fiction property listed among Kakao Entertainment’s publishing-related assets. Its presence supports the company’s broader involvement in translated and serialized web fiction and its effort to operate beyond the South Korean content market.

• 2021Acquisition of Radish FictionM&A

  Kakao Entertainment sought to strengthen its serialized-fiction and international publishing capabilities.

  What changed. The company acquired Radish Fiction in May 2021.

  Aftermath. The transaction expanded Kakao Entertainment’s presence in English-language digital fiction and added to its international intellectual-property portfolio.

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• 2021Planned merger with Melon CompanyM&A

  Melon’s music-streaming business was strategically complementary to Kakao Entertainment’s labels, artists, and music-distribution activities.

  What changed. Kakao Entertainment announced in July 2021 that it and Melon Company would merge, with completion expected in September.

  Aftermath. The plan was intended to consolidate music-platform and entertainment capabilities within the Kakao group.

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• 2021Combination of Play M Entertainment and Cre.ker EntertainmentM&A

  Kakao Entertainment continued reorganizing affiliated music and artist-management businesses.

  What changed. The company announced in September that Play M Entertainment and Cre.ker Entertainment would merge; the resulting corporate name was announced as IST Entertainment.

  Aftermath. The new name took effect on November 1, 2021, consolidating the two affiliated entertainment operations.

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• 2020KakaoPage proposes a unified entertainment companyStrategy

  KakaoPage Corp. and Kakao M had complementary positions in digital publishing, music, artists, and audiovisual media. A unified structure was also considered against the backdrop of changing mobile-app-market policies.

  What changed. KakaoPage proposed combining the two Kakao subsidiaries, with the Kakao Entertainment name later selected for the unified company.

  Aftermath. The merger was announced in January 2021 and completed on March 1, 2021, creating the operating structure of Kakao Entertainment.

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• 2021KakaoPage and Kakao M announce plans to merge

  The two Kakao subsidiaries announced a planned combination under the Kakao Entertainment name, bringing digital publishing together with music and media operations.

  M&A
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• 2021Kakao Entertainment formally begins operations after merger

  The merger was completed on March 1, with the unified Kakao Entertainment company formally established the following day.

  M&ALeadership change
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• 2021Kakao Entertainment acquires Radish Fiction

  Kakao Entertainment acquired the serialized-fiction platform Radish Fiction, expanding its English-language digital publishing presence.

  M&A
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• 2021Kakao Entertainment and Melon Company announce merger

  Kakao Entertainment announced plans to combine with Melon Company, consolidating music-streaming and entertainment capabilities within the group.

  M&A
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• 2021Play M Entertainment and Cre.ker Entertainment move toward combination

  The affiliated entertainment companies announced plans to merge, with the resulting company taking the name IST Entertainment.

  M&ALeadership change
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• Copyright enforcement actions target unauthorized comic-reading services

  Kakao Entertainment issued copyright-related cease-and-desist actions involving unauthorized or fan-translated digital comic and web-novel distribution services, including Tachiyomi and ReaperScan.

  LawsuitOther
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1. Kakao Entertainment
2. Kakao Entertainment official website