Kakao – the famous operator for the mobile messenger KakaoTalk unveiled a new mobile content platform, KakaoPage. It is seeking to bolster their revenue with a new business model. We wrote about this previously, but we thought an update was necessary now that it is officially launched! The launch can be seen as the homegrown startup’s move to solidify revenue sources. It also has an incredibly large (and growing!) subscription base. The…

beSUCCESS covers weekly news in Korea, 18 Feb.

Kakao, the South Korean IM giant sought to partner up with American corporations such as Google and Facebook to name a few as a way to reach US smartphone users. They also successfully raised 92 billion KRW from the Chinese internet gaming company, Tencent (72 million) and a Korean company, WeMade Entertainment (20 million). Kakao will also consider an initial public offering (IPO) starting this year.

In early December, the major Korean telcos launched Joyn, a mobile messenger service which would allow subscribers to message, call and send files to other users. This could enhance the market entry cost greatly and make it difficult for small IT startups in Korea.

SKT와 KT, LG U+의 통신 3사는 채팅, 파일전송, 통화 중 실시간 영상 공유 등을 지원하는 미래형 통합 커뮤니케이션 도구인 RCS 서비스인 조인(joyn)의 테스트를 마무리하고 26일 본격적 출시에 나선다. 과연 ‘조인(joyn)’이 대국민 모바일 커뮤니케이션 메신저, ‘카카오톡’의 아성을 잠재울 수 있을지 주목된다.