Kakao names Kim Do-young as co-chair of group control tower

Mobile platform giant Kakao Group named Kakao Investment CEO Kim Do-young as co-chair of the group’s control tower, ahead of the planned spin-off of its flagship unit Kakao Corp. Kakao Group said Monday that its CEOs agreed to appoint Kim as co-chair of the Corporate Alignment (CA) Council. Kim will lead the council alongside existing CA Council Chair Chung Shin-a, who is also CEO of Kakao Corp. The group said the appointment is intended to ensure continuity in key decision-making and enhance organizational stability ahead of the spin-off. Kim and Chung will jointly oversee major decisions until the split, while strengthening group-wide coordination and execution. Kim is an investment specialist who built his career as an investment banking director at Samsung Securities. Before joining Kakao Group, he served as chief financial officer of Kolon Mobility Group from 2022 to 2025. The appointment is in line with the proposed spin-off of Kakao Corp. Under the plan, the company will be split into Kakao AI, which will oversee flagship messenger KakaoTalk, artificial intelligence (AI), advert