Kakao plans to introduce an agentic artificial intelligence (AI) service that can identify food-ordering intent within KakaoTalk conversations and connect users from menu recommendations to payment through a partnership with Coupang Eats.

The company disclosed during its second-quarter 2026 earnings conference call on Aug. 6 that it has signed an agent-to-agent (A2A) partnership agreement with Coupang Eats. Under the envisioned model, KakaoTalk’s on-device AI will analyze conversational context and user preferences to recommend menu items, while the Coupang Eats agent will handle ordering and payment functions.

The two companies are currently discussing implementation details. Beginning with food delivery, Kakao plans to expand its agentic AI ecosystem into other frequently used consumer services, including commerce, reservations, travel and payments.

KakaoTalk will incorporate the company’s on-device AI model, Kanana 2 1.3B, along with long-term memory technology. The system is designed to understand schedules and interests scattered across multiple conversations as a unified context and provide increasingly personalized services based on accumulated user behavior and preferences. Kakao plans to introduce related experiences gradually in the second half of the year and is targeting more than 10 million monthly active users (MAUs) for its AI services by year-end.

Kakao said it will focus its resources on AI services that directly interact with consumers rather than infrastructure businesses such as AI data centers, graphics processing units (GPUs) and cloud computing. The company believes large upfront investments and ongoing capital expenditures are required for AI infrastructure, while rapid technology refresh cycles for GPUs and AI servers make the long-term sustainability of current profitability uncertain.

As a result, Kakao intends to prioritize AI services at the user interface level rather than capital-intensive infrastructure investments. The company plans to strengthen its in-house capabilities across the AI value chain, from models to services, leveraging its strengths in business-to-consumer (B2C) platforms.

Kakao reported second-quarter revenue of 2.0985 trillion won and operating profit of 277.0 billion won, both record highs for a single quarter. The figures increased 9% and 36%, respectively, from a year earlier.

Revenue from the platform segment rose 17% year over year to 1.2303 trillion won. Talk Biz revenue reached 643.2 billion won, while advertising and subscription revenue hit a quarterly record of 399.9 billion won. Business messaging revenue and display advertising within KakaoTalk grew 20% and 28%, respectively.

Revenue from the content segment totaled 868.2 billion won, remaining broadly in line with the previous year. Music and media revenue increased, while story revenue declined 16%.

“Considering the direction of Kakao’s AI strategy and the speed of execution, we expect the foundation for AI mass adoption to be established by the end of this year and full-scale monetization to begin next year,” Chief Executive Officer Chung Shin-a said.

Kakao aims to increase the share of AI-related revenue within its Talk Biz segment to double-digit percentages by 2028 through transaction fees, subscriptions and AI-powered advertising, positioning AI as a key driver to reignite Talk Biz growth and serve as a major revenue source.

Kakao reported record quarterly revenue and operating profit for the second quarter, driven by continued growth across its platform businesses. Strong performance from Talk Biz, mobility and payments operations also strengthened the company’s financial capacity to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives.

The company said on Aug. 6 that second-quarter revenue reached 2.10 trillion won, while operating profit rose to 277.0 billion won on a consolidated basis under Korean International Financial Reporting Standards (K-IFRS). The figures were up 9% and 36%, respectively, from a year earlier.

Revenue from the platform segment totaled 1.23 trillion won, an increase of 17% year over year. Within the segment, Talk Biz generated 643.2 billion won, accounting for 52% of platform revenue. Advertising and subscription revenue rose 14% from a year earlier to 399.9 billion won.

Business messaging revenue increased 20% as demand from advertisers in the financial sector expanded. Display advertising on KakaoTalk also grew 28%, supported by higher user engagement and the performance of new advertising products.

Talk Biz commerce revenue reached 243.2 billion won, up 10% from the same period last year. Combined gross merchandise value from services including Gift and Talk Deal increased 9% to 2.7 trillion won during the quarter. Self-purchase transactions through the Gift platform rose 39%.

Revenue from other platform businesses, including mobility and payments, climbed 22% year over year to 587.0 billion won. The mobility business benefited from growth in its core operations and last-mile logistics services. Kakao Pay posted record quarterly revenue and operating profit, supported by higher financial-service revenue and growth in payment and platform services.

Revenue from the content segment increased 1% from a year earlier to 868.2 billion won. Music revenue rose 8% to 558.4 billion won, while media revenue increased 5% to 99.1 billion won. Story revenue totaled 210.7 billion won.

Operating expenses rose 6% year over year to 1.82 trillion won.

Kakao said it plans to gradually introduce agentic AI services within KakaoTalk that connect everyday activities such as ordering, reservations and payments. The company will work with partners in commerce, reservations, travel and payments while expanding its ecosystem through its open platform, PlayMCP.

As an initial example, Kakao plans to establish an environment in which users can complete food ordering and payment directly within a KakaoTalk chat room through an agent-to-agent (A2A) partnership with Coupang Eats. The company said an on-device AI model will understand conversational context and seamlessly connect users to ordering and payment functions.

Com2uS' upcoming MMORPG Zeus: The God of Arrogance (Zeus) and Smilegate's Eclipse: The Awakening (Eclipse) are set to face off in the market with launches just two weeks apart. While both games aim to reduce the fatigue associated with long play sessions in traditional MMORPGs, they differ significantly in their settings, competitive structures and character progression systems.

Published by Com2uS and developed by AButton, Zeus is scheduled for release on Aug. 26. Eclipse, published by Smilegate and developed by NPIXEL, is slated to launch on Sept. 10.

Zeus is built around a world inspired by Greek mythology. Rather than directly adapting familiar myths, the game reimagines the stories of Pandora, the Titans and the Olympian gods in a world fractured by the arrogance of Zeus, the king of the gods. Unreal Engine 5-powered graphics and a multilayered competitive structure are among its key features.

"Greek mythology is a story that virtually everyone knows, yet it has surprisingly rarely been explored properly in games," said Jung Sung-hoon, director at AButton. "We used that familiarity as a starting point while adding our own fresh elements. Many well-known gods will guide players into the world of the God of Arrogance, each with their own role."

In contrast, Eclipse adopts an original setting centered on the prosperous world of Ederion, blessed by the gods, and its hidden counterpart, Orthea. The game builds its own narrative around uncovering the truth concealed behind a seemingly perfect world.

"Stories based on well-known mythological elements often have predefined events, narratives and character frameworks," said Kim Dong-hyuk, chief art director at NPIXEL. "Rather than incorporating existing mythology, we felt it was important to create our own mythological details, which is why we chose an original story."

At the core of both games is the effort to reduce the burden of extended MMORPG play. However, Zeus focuses on improving convenience so that more players can participate in competition and progression, rather than reducing competitive elements themselves. Even while using AI-driven auto-play mode, players can access shops, trade items and manage equipment. A scheduling function also allows players to assign different hunting areas based on time periods.

The game also introduces an AI-powered "Persona" system designed to lower playtime requirements while preserving the appeal of competitive MMORPG gameplay. Personas are AI-controlled replicas generated in real time using a player's character specifications and appearance. Players can compete against these personas in one-on-one content such as the Colosseum and in large-scale guild-versus-guild RvR content known as the Arcadia Festival.

Eclipse, meanwhile, defines its approach as "MMO Lite." The concept aims to preserve the enjoyment of progression, cooperation and combat while reducing both time and spending requirements. Its flagship "Sanctuary" feature allows players to accumulate experience points and growth resources even while offline. The game also includes an AI mode that enables automated hunting during offline periods and a support feature called "Eclipse Time," which lets players choose their preferred play schedule.

The two titles also differ in their player-versus-player (PvP) philosophies. While Zeus emphasizes a multilayered competitive structure, Eclipse adopts optional PvP, giving players greater control over whether they participate in competitive content. Most areas are designated as safe zones, and large-scale battles are designed to be completed in shorter sessions. Combat strategies based on weapon selection and skill combinations further distinguish the game.

Both titles are strategically important to their publishers' MMORPG businesses. Zeus is Com2uS' flagship MMORPG release for the second half of the year and the first title from AButton. With The Starlight, released in 2025, falling short of expectations, industry observers are watching to see whether Zeus can become a new growth driver for the company's RPG business.

Eclipse is a new MMORPG jointly introduced by Smilegate and NPIXEL. As revenue from Lost Ark continues to stabilize at lower levels, the title is expected to play a key role in securing new revenue streams. Industry attention is also focused on how players will respond to the game's "MMO Lite" strategy, which seeks to maintain traditional MMORPG progression and competitive systems while reducing player burden.

By taking different approaches to easing MMORPG fatigue—Zeus through Greek mythology and competitive gameplay, and Eclipse through an original world and optional PvP—the two titles are poised to compete for different segments of the market. Their launches, separated by roughly two weeks, will be closely watched in the second half of the year.

Woowa Brothers, the operator of food delivery platform Baemin, said on Aug. 10 that it signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety to promote the use of certified low-price businesses, known as Good Price Stores.

Good Price Stores are businesses recognized by the ministry and local governments for offering affordable prices, hygienic environments and friendly service, making them establishments that consumers are likely to revisit.

The agreement is intended to help ease the burden of inflation on consumers. Under the program, restaurant owners who have maintained affordable prices will gain additional opportunities to increase sales, while consumers will receive benefits through the Baemin platform.

From Aug. 17 through Sept. 13, customers will be able to receive delivery-only discount coupons worth 3,000 won for orders placed at participating Good Price Stores on a first-come, first-served basis.

Baemin will also support participating businesses by featuring them through banner promotions on the "Together Store" page within its mutual-growth program section on the platform.

Webzen on Aug. 10 revealed the first gameplay visuals and details for its self-developed upcoming title, Project D1.

Project D1 is a command strategy role-playing game (RPG) being developed by Webzen Crevix, a subsidiary of Webzen, based on the intellectual property (IP) of the popular webtoon I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game. The title is currently in development with a target launch in 2027.

The game recreates the world into which the protagonist of the original webtoon is summoned, using a dot-graphics-based "diorama pixel art" style. The technique combines 2D pixel art with three-dimensional spatial presentation.

The original webtoon's narrative has been adapted into a party-based combat system. The episodes and storylines involving the protagonist have been reinterpreted through party composition, tactical operations, character progression and command-based battles.

Webzen said it plans to disclose more detailed information about the game in the second half of this year.

Naver said it will introduce a membership-exclusive dawn delivery service in October and begin generating revenue from its AI Factory project next year.

During its second-quarter 2026 earnings conference call on Aug. 7, the company said it plans to launch a dedicated dawn delivery service alongside a membership-only returns center that will provide faster returns processing. Since expanding free shipping and return benefits under its N Delivery membership program, customer purchase frequency has increased by about 29%, while the program's share of transactions has exceeded 70%.

Naver is also accelerating its AI infrastructure business. The company plans to begin operating its AI Factory project with Nvidia at 55 megawatts of capacity in the first half of 2027, when it expects the facility to start generating revenue. Capacity is targeted to expand to 100 megawatts by the end of 2027 and 200 megawatts in 2028. Naver is currently discussing the development of approximately $9 billion in computing infrastructure for the project with Brookfield.

The company noted that investment spending will remain elevated in the second half of the year due to continued deployment of Npay Connect and investments in computing assets such as graphics processing units (GPUs) and central processing units (CPUs). Naver said 2026 represents the peak period for growth-related investment and expects the pace of cost increases to moderate beginning next year.

The company reported second-quarter consolidated revenue of 3.39 trillion won and operating profit of 520.3 billion won. Revenue increased 16.2% from a year earlier, while operating profit declined 0.2%.

Revenue from the Naver Platform segment rose 12.3% year over year to 1.90 trillion won. Advertising revenue increased 7.5% to 1.45 trillion won, supported by expanded AI-driven advertising optimization. The company said AI accounted for more than 60% of incremental advertising revenue growth during the quarter.

Naver has also begun monetizing generative AI services. AI Briefing Ads, which were tested during the second quarter and officially launched at the end of July, delivered cost-per-click and click-through rates more than 30% higher than traditional search advertisements. Purchase conversion rates were more than three times higher. The company said it plans to expand the service as a new advertising inventory rather than a replacement for existing search advertising.

Service revenue, including commerce operations, increased 31.3% year over year to 455.0 billion won. Gross merchandise volume on Smart Store rose 15.5% during the quarter, while transaction volume on the Naver Plus Store app increased by more than 35%.

The company is also strengthening its logistics capabilities. Transaction volume through Smart Store's N Delivery service rose 76% year over year in June, and N Delivery accounted for more than 20% of total platform transactions. Naver plans to increase that share to 25% by the end of this year.

Naver posted double-digit revenue growth in the second quarter, but operating profit edged lower as spending on AI infrastructure and World Cup broadcasting rights weighed on earnings.

The company said on Aug. 7 that consolidated revenue reached 3.39 trillion won in the second quarter of 2026, up 16.2% from a year earlier. Operating profit declined 0.2% to 520.3 billion won.

According to Naver, the decline in operating profit reflected one-time costs related to the rollout of its offline integrated payment terminal, Npay Connect, broadcasting rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup held from June 12 to July 20, intellectual property (IP) recognition expenses and investment in graphics processing unit (GPU)-based AI infrastructure.

Revenue growth was led by the Naver Platform segment, which includes advertising and commerce services. Segment revenue rose 12.3% year over year to 1.90 trillion won.

Advertising revenue increased 7.5% from a year earlier, supported by AI-driven content optimization and enhanced targeting capabilities. The company said AI contributed more than 60% of advertising revenue growth. Naver is also developing AI Briefing Ads, launched at the end of July, as a new revenue source powered by generative AI. The company said the product has delivered click-through conversion rates more than 30% higher than conventional search advertising and purchase conversion rates more than three times greater.

Service revenue, including commerce operations, rose 31.3% year over year, driven by growth in Naver Plus Store, membership services and N Delivery.

The financial platform business generated revenue of 470.7 billion won, up 16.0% from a year earlier, as the company continued expanding its payment ecosystem. Npay payment volume increased 21.0% to 25.2 trillion won, supported by growth in Smart Store transactions and expansion of external merchant networks.

Naver is also expanding Npay Connect as part of its push into AI-powered business platforms. The company plans to integrate online and offline data to strengthen its ecosystem and create new monetization opportunities.

Global business revenue rose 24.4% year over year to 1.02 trillion won. Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) operations were the main growth driver, with revenue increasing 74.9% from a year earlier, supported by higher transaction volume and revenue at Wallapop, Poshmark and Soda.

Content revenue increased 0.5% from a year earlier, while enterprise revenue rose 21.3%, supported by growth in business-to-business (B2B) sales related to AI and digital twin projects.

Naver said it is expanding AI infrastructure initiatives alongside the integration of AI across its existing services. The company expects revenue from its AI Factory project with Nvidia to begin in the first half of 2027.

ADT Caps, the physical security brand of SK shieldus, said on Aug. 6 that it has launched Caps Store Solution, a new integrated service designed to manage both store operations and security through a single application.

Caps Store Solution enables real-time management of security, access control, attendance, sales and connected devices through Caps ON, the company's unified management platform.

The service can be customized for a wide range of retail environments, including hybrid stores, unmanned stores, small single-operator shops and franchise locations. Users can select only the functions they need, such as access authentication terminals, kiosks and doorbells, and configure the system accordingly.

Selected functions can be managed through the Caps ON mobile application. Based on sales data collected from payment devices such as kiosks, operators can monitor sales performance by time period and product category. The platform also analyzes operational data to support more efficient store management and data-driven decision-making.

When integrated with ADT Caps' security response service, the solution allows businesses to handle routine store operations and emergency response through a single management framework.

RaonSecure said on Aug. 6 that it has been selected as a participating company for the 2026 Blockchain Specialized University (Graduate School) Support Program, an initiative led by South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA).

The program was established to cultivate industry-ready blockchain professionals through cooperation between universities and the private sector. It aims to narrow the gap between education and industry demand by integrating blockchain coursework, hands-on training and problem-solving projects.

RaonSecure will operate the “University Hub,” providing a common blockchain technology infrastructure to participating institutions including Seoul Women’s University, Konyang University and Hansei University. The company will build a shared training environment where students can learn blockchain technologies in conditions that closely resemble real-world industry settings.

RaonMeta, a subsidiary of RaonSecure, will provide extended reality (XR)-based learning environments through dedicated university sections of Metademy, its artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual convergence training platform. The system will allow students to experience step-by-step development processes in immersive educational settings.

In addition, RaonSecure will issue digital credentials through its OmniOne Badge platform, enabling learning achievements to be recorded on blockchain infrastructure. Students who meet specified requirements will be eligible to receive a professional digital identity based on decentralized identity (DID) technology through OmniOne Digital ID, the company’s blockchain-based integrated identity and credential verification platform.

Nexon said on Aug. 6 that its open-license intellectual property (IP) project, NEXON Replay, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Daegu Digital Innovation Promotion Agency (DIP) to foster the regional game industry.

Under the agreement, Nexon and DIP will jointly promote the "NEXON Replay IP-Linked Game Development Support Program" as part of the "2026 Daegu Global Game Center Game Content Production Support Project."

NEXON Replay is an open-license initiative designed to explore new possibilities for Nexon's IP portfolio by providing opportunities for secondary creations based on the company's game franchises. The project aims to expand collaboration with external creators and developers.

Eligible applicants are game developers headquartered in Daegu or those capable of relocating their headquarters to the city within one month. Companies selected for the program will enter into the same revenue-sharing and non-disclosure agreements applied to NEXON Replay partners. They will also receive mandatory development resources from either The Legend of Darkness or Asgard to support game development.

Nexon said it plans to use NEXON Replay to broaden opportunities for regional game developers to collaborate with its IP portfolio.

Webzen reported lower revenue and operating profit for the first half of 2026 as a slowdown in new game releases weighed on performance.

The company said on Aug. 6 that it posted consolidated first-half revenue of 77.3 billion won, operating profit of 11.0 billion won and net profit of 15.1 billion won. Revenue and operating profit declined 4% and 26.8%, respectively, from a year earlier. Net profit increased 89% due to a low comparison base resulting from a temporary decline in the first half of last year.

For the second quarter, Webzen recorded revenue of 38.0 billion won, operating profit of 5.6 billion won and net profit of 6.3 billion won. Compared with the same period a year earlier, the figures fell 2.8%, 8.4% and 6.4%, respectively. The company said weaker performance resulting from the absence of new game launches affected first-half results.

Webzen plans to focus on unveiling and preparing new titles in the second half of the year. Project D1, a strategy game being developed by subsidiary Webzen Crevix, is currently targeting a 2027 release. The company plans to disclose additional information about the game later this year.

Project D1 is based on the Naver Webtoon series Tyrant of the Defense Game. The title is being developed as a hybrid genre game combining tower defense and dungeon offense gameplay within a 2.5D pixel-art environment.

Webzen also plans to release additional information as early as the second half regarding Gate of Gates, a strategy defense game that combines traditional defense mechanics with a roguelike progression system.

Project G, a large-scale title based on the MU intellectual property franchise and aimed at Western markets, is currently being developed by subsidiary Webzen Redstar.