Kakao, the South Korean internet company, announced that it achieved its first-ever revenue of over 8 trillion won last year. According to a public announcement on the 12th, the company's fourth-quarter revenue increased by 9% compared to the same period last year, reaching 2.1332 trillion won, while operating profit surged by 136% to 203.4 billion won. The total annual revenue for the year was reported at 8.991 trillion won, marking a 3% increase from the previous year, with operating profit also hitting a record high of 732 billion won, which represents a significant 48% growth.

In terms of business segments, the platform division, which includes KakaoTalk advertisements, saw revenues rise by 17% in the fourth quarter, totaling 1.2226 trillion won. The 'Other Platforms,' which includes mobility and payments, reported a sharp increase of 30% in revenue to 523.9 billion won. Notably, the ‘Portal Business’ revenue, which reflects the performance of the aging Daum portal, fell by 14% to about 720 billion won, marking the only decline within the platform division. The content division's performance remained stable with 910.6 billion won in fourth-quarter revenue, while music and media revenues increased by 12% and 30%, respectively.

Kakao's operational costs rose by 3% year-on-year in the fourth quarter, amounting to about 1.9298 trillion won, resulting in an operating margin of 10%. Looking ahead, Kakao plans to launch its on-device artificial intelligence 'Kanan in KakaoTalk' on Android and iOS, thereby expanding user engagement and continuing the development of essential language models for its services. CEO Jeong Shin-ah remarked on the results, highlighting the clear improvement in financial indicators as a result of focusing the group's capabilities on core improvements, while also affirming the company's commitment to demonstrating tangible results for Kakao's long-term growth aspirations.