Kakao's labor union has initiated its first strike since the company's founding, raising concerns about potential disruptions to key services like KakaoTalk.
The Kakao branch of the National Chemical Fiber Food Industry Labor Union began a partial strike and rally in Pangyo on June 10. The union is demanding a halt to sales, spin-offs, and restructuring, job security, and improvements to the executive compensation system. Previously, negotiations over wages and collective bargaining broke down at the Gyeonggi Provincial Labor Relations Commission, leading to the strike.
In response to the strike, the government has also taken action. The Ministry of Science and ICT held a meeting with Kakao representatives on June 8 to discuss stable operations for essential digital services closely tied to public life, such as KakaoTalk and KakaoMap. The meeting included Choi Woo-hyuk, Director of the Information Protection and Network Policy Bureau, and Seo Young-hoon, Kakao's Vice President.
The Ministry and Kakao agreed to continuously monitor service operations and maintain a cooperative system to quickly share information and respond in case of disruptions. The Ministry emphasized the importance of stability for digital platform services used by a large number of citizens, urging the need to ensure service continuity and reliability.
The key question is whether KakaoTalk users will experience any service disruptions. Currently, experts believe that the strike is unlikely to immediately affect the sending and receiving of messages on KakaoTalk or lead to interruptions in major services like KakaoPay. This is due to the automated systems and essential personnel operating continuously. Kakao has also stated that it will ensure that services, including KakaoTalk, remain unaffected by various situations.
However, if the strike continues for an extended period, there could be variables to consider. While services are typically maintained through automated systems, unexpected situations such as traffic surges, system failures, security issues, or major updates could necessitate the response of skilled personnel. Therefore, while the likelihood of short-term service interruptions is limited, concerns remain that prolonged strikes could impact service operations and the timeline for developing new features.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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