Kakao Entertainment’s New Co‑CEO Duo Sets a Global Growth Plan

The Korean entertainment powerhouse has reshuffled its top leadership, adding JungHee Ko as co‑CEO alongside Joseph Chang. The change was ratified during the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting on March 25, signaling a fresh push toward international expansion. Ko brings a strong background in AI and platform strategy from her previous roles at Kakao Bank, where she led the AI group, chief strategy office and chief service office. Now she will head the newly created Chief Platform Officer unit, tasked with boosting services such as the music‑streaming app Melon, web‑novel and webtoon platform KakaoPage, and the K‑culture fan site Berriz.Chang will run a separate unit called the Global Growth Center, whose mission is to deepen Kakao’s worldwide presence. He plans to weave together the planning, production and distribution of intellectual property across music, stories and media, while seeking new opportunities in the United States. Prior to this appointment he headed Sony Music Entertainment Korea and co‑led Sony’s Asia hub. Together, the pair aim to fuse Kakao’s IP strength with advanced platform capabilities, creating a more powerful global fandom ecosystem for Korean culture. They expect to leverage the company’s record labels—such as Starship Entertainment, home of Monsta X and IVE—as well as its stakes in SM Entertainment, with which it opened a North American division last year. The leadership shake‑up reflects Kakao’s ambition to become a dominant player in the global entertainment market, using technology and creative content to reach new audiences.