How to Apply to Kakao

11 min read Last updated April 20, 2026 2 open positions
Blake Crosley
Blake Crosley Researched using publicly available information, hiring data, and ATS analysis.

Key Takeaways

  • Apply through careers.kakao.com — Kakao's official career portal, which lists positions across all Kakao Group entities including Kakao Corp, Kakao Pay, Kakao Mobility, Kakao Entertainment, and Kakao Games. The portal supports both Korean and English interfaces.
  • The coding test is the primary gatekeeper for technical roles and is considered one of the hardest in Korean tech hiring. Prepare extensively using Programmers (programmers.co.kr), study Kakao's publicly released past test problems on tech.kakao.com, and focus on dynamic programming, graph algorithms, and string manipulation at LeetCode Medium-to-Hard difficulty.
  • Kakao's hiring process averages approximately 20 days and typically follows: application with self-introduction, coding assessment (tech roles), remote technical interview or assignment, first-round practitioner interview, and second-round executive interview. A third round may occur for certain positions.
  • Invest significant effort in the self-introduction statement (jagi sogae-seo) — this narrative document carries substantial weight in Korean tech hiring and is evaluated as seriously as your resume. Generic statements are filtered early; write specifically about why Kakao and how your experience aligns.
  • Kakao's 2025-2026 strategic pivot to AI means the company explicitly seeks 'AI Native' talent. Demonstrating hands-on experience with generative AI, machine learning, or AI-powered product development provides a significant competitive advantage in the current hiring cycle.
  • The company culture features a flat hierarchy with English nicknames (no Korean honorific titles), sabbatical leave every three years, and a liberal innovative environment. Employees rate Kakao 3.9 out of 5 for work-life balance, and 77 percent would recommend working there.
  • Korean language proficiency is a strong advantage for Korea-based positions. Executive interviews are typically conducted in Korean, and daily work at Kakao headquarters operates primarily in Korean. International candidates should apply to global roles at Kakao Games, Kakao Entertainment, or Kakao piccoma for English-friendly environments.
  • Kakao operates one of the world's most comprehensive super-app ecosystems — KakaoTalk (messaging, 90% Korean market share), Kakao Pay (fintech), Kakao Bank (internet banking), Kakao T (ride-hailing), Melon (music), and Kakao Games. Understanding this ecosystem demonstrates genuine interest and strengthens your candidacy.
  • Software engineer total compensation at Kakao averages approximately 60 to 84 million KRW per year (roughly $45,000 to $63,000 USD), with variation by level and subsidiary. Benefits include sabbatical leave, competitive healthcare, and stock options. Compensation is competitive within the Korean market, though lower than US Big Tech in absolute terms.

About Kakao

Kakao Corporation is South Korea's dominant internet conglomerate, headquartered in Jeju City, with its primary operations in Pangyo Techno Valley near Seoul. Founded through the 2014 merger of Daum Communications (Korea's pioneering web portal) and Kakao Inc. (the company behind the KakaoTalk messaging app), Kakao has grown into one of Asia's most influential technology ecosystems. The company is publicly traded on the Korea Exchange (KRX: 035720) and employs thousands of professionals across engineering, product, design, business, and content roles. Kakao's flagship product is KakaoTalk, a mobile messaging platform that commands approximately 90 percent domestic market share in South Korea — virtually every smartphone user in the country has KakaoTalk installed. KakaoTalk is far more than a messaging app: it functions as a super-app ecosystem encompassing payments, shopping, transportation, gaming, content consumption, and social networking. This dominance makes Kakao a central infrastructure provider for Korean digital life in a way that few companies are anywhere in the world. The Kakao ecosystem spans an extraordinary range of subsidiaries and services. Kakao Pay is a leading mobile payments and fintech platform. Kakao Bank operates as Korea's first internet-only bank with tens of millions of customers. Kakao Mobility provides ride-hailing and navigation services through Kakao T, which is Korea's dominant ride-hailing platform. Kakao Entertainment oversees music streaming (Melon, one of Korea's largest music platforms), webtoons, web novels, and video content. Kakao Games publishes and develops mobile and PC games for Korean and global audiences. Kakao piccoma operates one of Japan's most successful manga and webtoon platforms. In 2025 and 2026, Kakao has undergone significant strategic restructuring, reducing its subsidiary count by over 30 entities in two years to streamline operations and refocus the conglomerate around artificial intelligence as a primary growth driver. The company has announced plans to integrate generative AI search directly into KakaoTalk and launch a series of AI-powered services across its platform. This pivot toward AI-native products has reshaped Kakao's hiring priorities, with the company explicitly seeking 'AI Native' talent — professionals who can leverage AI technology to create new forms of value across the Kakao ecosystem. Kakao's engineering culture blends Korean corporate traditions with Silicon Valley-inspired flat hierarchy, making it a unique workplace that bridges Eastern and Western technology cultures.

Application Process

  1. 1
    Visit Kakao's official career portal at careers

    Visit Kakao's official career portal at careers.kakao.com to browse current openings. The portal supports both Korean and English interfaces and lists positions across all Kakao entities — Kakao Corp, Kakao Pay, Kakao Mobility, Kakao Entertainment, Kakao Games, and other subsidiaries. Positions are categorized by job function (Tech, Service Planning, Business, Design, Staff) and employment type (full-time, intern, experienced hire). Review the job description carefully, as requirements and processes vary by subsidiary and role type.

  2. 2
    Submit your application through the careers portal with your resume, self-introd

    Submit your application through the careers portal with your resume, self-introduction statement, and any requested materials. Kakao's application form places significant emphasis on the self-introduction section (jagi sogae-seo) — a narrative document common in Korean hiring that describes your motivations, relevant experiences, and fit for the role. For experienced hires, a detailed resume highlighting technical accomplishments and project impact is essential. Design applicants should prepare a portfolio showcasing relevant work.

  3. 3
    Complete the online coding assessment for technical roles

    Complete the online coding assessment for technical roles. Kakao's coding test is administered through their own platform and is one of the most well-known technical assessments in Korea's tech industry. The test evaluates algorithm design, data structure proficiency, and code implementation skills. Problems span dynamic programming, graph algorithms, string processing, and optimization challenges. The difficulty level is considered moderate to high — similar to LeetCode Medium-to-Hard problems. Non-technical roles skip this stage and proceed to interview rounds after document screening.

  4. 4
    Participate in a remote technical interview or assignment review

    Participate in a remote technical interview or assignment review. For Tech positions, this is a technical deep-dive conducted via video call, where interviewers assess your understanding of computer science fundamentals, system design thinking, and portfolio or project experience. For Design positions, an assignment is given after the initial document screening, and the interview discusses your assignment work, design process, and creative reasoning. Service Planning and Business roles may receive case studies or analytical exercises.

  5. 5
    Complete the first-round practitioner interview (silmu myeonjeop)

    Complete the first-round practitioner interview (silmu myeonjeop). This in-person or video interview is conducted by team leads and senior engineers or practitioners from the hiring team. Questions focus on technical competency, problem-solving approach, project experience, and domain-specific knowledge. Expect detailed questions about your past work, architectural decisions you have made, how you handled technical trade-offs, and your understanding of Kakao's products and the Korean tech ecosystem.

  6. 6
    Complete the second-round executive interview (imwon myeonjeop)

    Complete the second-round executive interview (imwon myeonjeop). This final interview is conducted by senior leadership and focuses on cultural fit, personality assessment, career motivations, growth potential, and alignment with Kakao's values. Expect questions about why you want to join Kakao specifically, your long-term career vision, how you collaborate with cross-functional teams, and how you handle pressure and ambiguity. A third interview round may occur depending on the specific position and subsidiary.

  7. 7
    Receive a hiring decision and onboarding information

    Receive a hiring decision and onboarding information. Kakao's overall hiring process averages approximately 20 days from application to decision, though technical roles and experienced hire positions may take 4 to 6 weeks. Selected candidates receive an offer with details on compensation, team placement, and start date. Kakao conducts onboarding at its headquarters, where new hires are introduced to the company culture, internal tools, and their specific team environments.

Resume Tips for Kakao

recommended

Write your resume in Korean if applying to Korea-based positions, as Kakao's pri

Write your resume in Korean if applying to Korea-based positions, as Kakao's primary operating language is Korean. English resumes are accepted for global or English-designated roles, but a Korean-language resume demonstrates cultural awareness and communication readiness. If applying from abroad, a bilingual resume (Korean and English) can be effective for international candidates.

recommended

Invest heavily in the self-introduction statement (jagi sogae-seo)

Invest heavily in the self-introduction statement (jagi sogae-seo). Korean tech companies, including Kakao, evaluate this narrative document with the same seriousness as the resume itself. Structure it around: your motivation for applying to Kakao specifically, relevant project experiences that demonstrate your skills, a challenge you overcame and what you learned, and your vision for contributing to Kakao's mission. Generic self-introductions are filtered early.

recommended

Quantify your technical impact with specific metrics

Quantify your technical impact with specific metrics. Kakao operates services at massive scale — KakaoTalk handles billions of messages, Kakao Pay processes millions of financial transactions, and Kakao Mobility manages real-time routing for millions of rides. Frame your experience in terms of scale, performance improvements, user impact, and system reliability. Numbers like requests per second, latency reductions, user growth, or error rate improvements resonate strongly.

recommended

Highlight experience with AI and machine learning technologies

Highlight experience with AI and machine learning technologies. Kakao's 2025-2026 strategic pivot to AI-native services means the company actively seeks candidates who can apply generative AI, natural language processing, recommendation systems, or machine learning infrastructure to product problems. Demonstrating hands-on AI experience — even through personal projects or academic research — gives you a significant advantage in the current hiring climate.

recommended

Demonstrate knowledge of the Korean technology ecosystem and Kakao's specific pr

Demonstrate knowledge of the Korean technology ecosystem and Kakao's specific products. Mentioning your experience with KakaoTalk, Kakao Pay, Melon, Kakao T, or Kakao's developer platforms shows genuine interest and contextual understanding. If you have used Kakao's APIs, open-source libraries, or developer tools, highlight this experience prominently.

recommended

Keep formatting clean, professional, and parser-friendly

Keep formatting clean, professional, and parser-friendly. Kakao's career portal processes uploaded documents, so use standard section headings, consistent formatting, and avoid complex tables, multi-column layouts, or embedded images that can confuse document parsing. Submit in PDF or Word format. Korean resumes typically include a professional photo, but international applicants following Western resume conventions are also accepted.

recommended

Include relevant education credentials and certifications

Include relevant education credentials and certifications. Korean tech companies value strong academic backgrounds, particularly from top Korean universities (SKY schools) or internationally recognized institutions. Computer science degrees, relevant master's or doctoral research, and certifications in cloud platforms, AI/ML, or mobile development strengthen your candidacy. Include any academic publications, conference presentations, or competition awards.

recommended

Showcase open-source contributions, side projects, or technical blog posts

Showcase open-source contributions, side projects, or technical blog posts. Kakao's engineering culture values developers who are active in the broader tech community. Contributions to GitHub repositories, technical writing on platforms like Medium or velog (Korea's popular developer blogging platform), or participation in coding competitions like Kakao's own annual coding challenge demonstrate passion and technical depth beyond your day job.

ATS System: Proprietary (careers.kakao.com)

Kakao operates a custom-built proprietary career portal at careers.kakao.com rather than using a third-party ATS platform. The portal handles job listings, application submission, document screening, and candidate tracking internally across all Kakao Group subsidiaries. The site supports Korean and English interfaces and categorizes positions by job function, subsidiary, and employment type.

  • Apply through careers.kakao.com — Kakao's official career portal for all group entities
  • Use clean, standard resume formatting with consistent headings for optimal document parsing
  • Submit in PDF or Word format — avoid complex tables, multi-column layouts, or embedded images
  • Pay special attention to the self-introduction (jagi sogae-seo) section, which carries significant screening weight
  • Korean-language resumes are preferred for Korea-based positions; bilingual resumes are acceptable for international candidates

Complete Proprietary (careers.kakao.com) Resume Guide →

Interview Culture

Kakao's interview culture reflects the company's distinctive position as Korea's most prominent tech company — blending traditional Korean corporate assessment rigor with a more progressive, Silicon Valley-inspired workplace culture. The overall interview experience is rated positively by 64 percent of candidates on Glassdoor, with an average difficulty score of 3.4 out of 5, placing Kakao interviews in the moderate-to-challenging range among Korean tech companies. The coding assessment is the first major gatekeeping stage and is famously demanding. Kakao's coding tests are considered benchmark-level challenges in Korea's tech hiring landscape — the company even publishes past problems and solutions through its tech blog (tech.kakao.com) as educational resources. Problems require strong fundamentals in algorithms and data structures, with particular emphasis on dynamic programming, graph traversal, greedy algorithms, string manipulation, and time-complexity optimization. Many candidates prepare specifically for Kakao-style problems using platforms like Programmers (programmers.co.kr, Korea's equivalent of LeetCode) and by studying Kakao's publicly released past test problems. Failing the coding test is the most common point of elimination. The technical interview rounds are conducted by practitioners — senior engineers and technical leads from the team you would join. Interviewers probe deeply into your project experience, asking you to explain architectural decisions, discuss trade-offs you considered, and walk through how you would approach real-world technical challenges at Kakao's scale. System design questions are common for experienced hires, particularly around designing high-availability messaging systems, real-time payment processing pipelines, or large-scale recommendation engines. Interviewers value clear, structured communication and the ability to think through problems methodically rather than jumping to solutions. One distinguishing feature of Kakao's interview culture is the use of nicknames (yeongmun byeolmyeong). Inside Kakao, all employees — from new hires to executives — use English-language nicknames instead of Korean hierarchical titles. This flat-hierarchy culture extends to the interview process, where interviewers introduce themselves by nickname and create a relatively relaxed atmosphere compared to traditional Korean corporate interviews. However, this informality should not be mistaken for lower standards — Kakao's interviewers are evaluating whether you can thrive in an environment that demands both technical excellence and collaborative autonomy. The executive interview (imwon myeonjeop) shifts focus from technical assessment to personality, cultural fit, and growth potential. Senior leaders evaluate your communication style, your ability to articulate career motivations, and whether your values align with Kakao's mission of connecting people through technology. Questions often explore how you handle failure, how you collaborate across functions, and what you would do in your first 90 days on the team. Korean-language fluency is a significant advantage at this stage, as executive interviews are typically conducted in Korean for Korea-based positions. For international candidates or those applying to global roles at Kakao subsidiaries, interviews may be conducted partially or fully in English. Kakao Games, Kakao Entertainment, and Kakao piccoma (which operates primarily in Japan) have more internationally oriented hiring processes. However, even for English-language interviews, demonstrating cultural awareness of Korean business practices and Kakao's ecosystem will distinguish you from other candidates. Candidates consistently report that Kakao's interviewers are respectful and genuinely interested in understanding your capabilities, but the interview structure can feel broad — questions span many topics without deep follow-up, which can make it challenging to build conversational momentum. Preparing structured responses (using the STAR method or similar frameworks) helps you deliver comprehensive answers even when follow-up prompts are minimal.

What Kakao Looks For

  • AI-native thinking and technical adaptability. Kakao's 2025-2026 hiring strategy explicitly targets 'AI Native' talent — professionals who naturally incorporate AI tools and thinking into their work. Demonstrating hands-on experience with generative AI, machine learning, or AI-powered product development is a strong differentiator in the current hiring climate.
  • Strong algorithmic fundamentals and coding proficiency. Kakao's coding assessments are among the most challenging in Korean tech hiring. They seek candidates with deep understanding of data structures, algorithms, and computational complexity who can write clean, efficient, production-quality code under time constraints.
  • Product sense and user empathy. Kakao's products serve nearly the entire Korean population — KakaoTalk alone has over 50 million monthly active users in a country of 52 million. They value candidates who think about user experience, understand how technical decisions impact product quality, and can connect engineering work to user outcomes.
  • Collaborative autonomy in a flat organization. Kakao's nickname culture and flat hierarchy mean that employees are expected to take ownership of their work, communicate openly across levels, and collaborate without relying on rigid hierarchical structures. Demonstrating self-direction balanced with strong teamwork resonates with Kakao's culture.
  • Passion for the Korean digital ecosystem. Kakao is deeply embedded in Korean daily life, and they value candidates who genuinely understand and care about the products and services that make up the Kakao ecosystem — from messaging and payments to mobility and entertainment. Surface-level interest is easily detected; authentic engagement is rewarded.
  • Resilience and growth mindset. Kakao's interview process — particularly the executive round — probes how candidates handle failure, learn from setbacks, and continuously develop their skills. The company values long-term growth potential over static expertise.
  • Cross-domain versatility. Kakao's conglomerate structure means engineers and professionals frequently work across domains — messaging, fintech, mobility, gaming, content, and AI. Candidates who demonstrate the ability to learn new domains quickly and apply their skills across different product contexts are highly valued.
  • Communication clarity in Korean and/or English. For Korea-based roles, Korean language proficiency is a significant advantage. Kakao values candidates who can articulate complex technical concepts clearly, whether in Korean for domestic teams or in English for international collaboration.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Kakao's hiring process?
Kakao's hiring process typically consists of five stages: (1) application submission through careers.kakao.com with resume and self-introduction statement, (2) document screening by HR and hiring managers, (3) online coding assessment for technical roles — testing algorithms, data structures, and implementation skills, (4) first-round practitioner interview with team leads focused on technical competency and project experience, and (5) second-round executive interview focused on cultural fit, personality, and career motivation. A third interview round may occur for certain positions. The overall process averages approximately 20 days, though experienced engineering roles may take 4 to 6 weeks.
What ATS does Kakao use for job applications?
Kakao operates its own proprietary career portal at careers.kakao.com rather than using a third-party applicant tracking system like Greenhouse or Lever. The portal is a custom-built recruitment platform that handles job listings, application submission, and candidate management internally. To optimize your application, use a clean resume format with standard headings, submit in PDF or Word format, and pay particular attention to the self-introduction section, which is weighted heavily in the screening process.
How difficult is Kakao's coding test?
Kakao's coding assessment is widely regarded as one of the most challenging in Korean tech hiring, rated approximately 3.4 out of 5 in difficulty. Problems typically cover dynamic programming, graph algorithms, string manipulation, greedy algorithms, and optimization challenges at LeetCode Medium-to-Hard difficulty. Kakao publishes past test problems and solutions on their tech blog (tech.kakao.com), making it one of the few Korean companies that provides transparent preparation resources. Many candidates prepare using Programmers (programmers.co.kr), Korea's primary competitive programming platform, and by studying 2 to 3 years of Kakao's released problems.
Does Kakao hire international candidates?
Yes, Kakao hires international candidates, though the majority of positions at Kakao Corp headquarters require Korean language proficiency. The most internationally accessible opportunities are through Kakao's global subsidiaries: Kakao Games has a US office (Kakao Games USA), Kakao Entertainment operates internationally for K-pop and content distribution, and Kakao piccoma runs a major manga platform in Japan. For Korea-based positions, strong Korean language skills are a significant advantage, as daily work operations and executive interviews are conducted primarily in Korean.
What programming languages and technologies does Kakao use?
Kakao's engineering stack varies by team and product but includes Java and Kotlin (Android development, server-side services), Swift (iOS development), Python (AI/ML, data engineering, automation), Spring Boot (backend services), React and Vue.js (web frontends), and Kubernetes for infrastructure orchestration. Kakao has invested heavily in AI and machine learning infrastructure, distributed systems for handling KakaoTalk's massive message volume, and real-time data processing for services like Kakao Pay and Kakao Mobility. The company contributes to open-source projects and maintains its own internal technology platforms.
What is Kakao's company culture like?
Kakao has a notably progressive culture by Korean corporate standards. All employees use English nicknames instead of Korean hierarchical titles (sajang-nim, bujang-nim), creating a flat organizational structure. The company provides sabbatical leave every three years, maintains reasonable work-life balance (employees rate it 3.9 out of 5), and fosters an innovative environment that employees compare favorably to global tech companies. However, experiences vary by team — some divisions face heavier workloads during product launches. The overall employee recommendation rate is 77 percent, and the culture is described as liberal, kind, and respectful.
What is Kakao's 2025-2026 recruitment focus?
Kakao's 2025-2026 recruitment strategy centers on 'AI Native' talent — professionals who actively use AI technology to create new value. The company launched its first-ever group-wide open recruitment across all subsidiaries in September 2025, marking a shift toward unified talent acquisition. Positions span Tech, Service Planning, Business, Design, and Staff functions, with AI capability as a cross-cutting priority. Kakao is integrating generative AI search into KakaoTalk and developing AI-powered features across its ecosystem, driving demand for AI engineers, ML infrastructure specialists, and product managers with AI experience.
How should I prepare for Kakao's behavioral interview?
Kakao's executive interview (imwon myeonjeop) evaluates personality, cultural fit, and growth potential. Prepare specific examples addressing: why you want to work at Kakao specifically (demonstrate knowledge of their products and ecosystem), how you handle failure and learn from setbacks, your collaboration style in flat team structures, how you work under pressure and ambiguity, and your long-term career vision. Use the STAR method to structure responses. Kakao's interviewers may not provide extensive follow-up prompts, so prepare comprehensive self-contained answers. For Korea-based roles, conducting the behavioral interview confidently in Korean is a significant advantage.
What is the salary range at Kakao?
Software engineer total compensation at Kakao ranges from approximately 60 to 84 million KRW per year (roughly $45,000 to $63,000 USD), with variation by experience level, role, and subsidiary. Senior engineers and specialists can earn above 100 million KRW. Benefits include sabbatical leave every three years, comprehensive healthcare, stock options, and various employee welfare programs. While compensation is competitive within the Korean tech market, it is lower than US Big Tech companies in absolute terms. However, Korea's lower cost of living and Kakao's strong brand prestige make it one of the most desirable employers in the country.
What are the differences between Kakao's subsidiaries for job seekers?
Each Kakao subsidiary has distinct cultures and hiring needs. Kakao Corp (the holding company) focuses on KakaoTalk platform engineering, AI, and core infrastructure. Kakao Pay hires fintech engineers with payments and banking expertise. Kakao Mobility focuses on real-time systems, mapping, and transportation algorithms. Kakao Entertainment recruits for content platforms, music streaming (Melon), and webtoon services. Kakao Games hires game developers, producers, and operations staff with more internationally oriented teams. Kakao piccoma (Japan) operates primarily in Japanese. Each subsidiary may have slightly different interview processes and cultural nuances, so research the specific entity you are applying to.

Open Positions

Kakao currently has 2 open positions.

Check Your Resume Before Applying → View 2 open positions at Kakao

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