The **Kakao labor union** announced Wednesday that employees across five of its affiliates have overwhelmingly voted in favor of **strike action**, significantly escalating the ongoing **wage and performance-based compensation dispute** within the prominent **IT company**. This development comes after protracted **collective bargaining talks** with management failed to yield an agreement.
During a rally held in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, the union confirmed that **strike ballots** at the five affiliates had all passed by 11 a.m. The affiliates identified include **Kakao Pay**, **Kakao Enterprise**, **XL Games**, and **DK Techin**. The fifth affiliate’s name was not immediately disclosed.
A union official stated, “All five affiliates voted in favor of strike action, securing our legal right to pursue industrial action. We will soon announce our next steps regarding this **Kakao strike**.”
This decisive vote follows repeated unsuccessful attempts by labor and management to bridge their differences over **wages** and the contentious **performance-based pay system**. The **labor dispute**, which initially focused on **Kakao Corp.**, has now broadened its scope to encompass multiple subsidiaries, reflecting a company-wide concern over fair compensation standards.
Meanwhile, the mediation session for **Kakao Corp.’s** main entity at the Gyeonggi Regional Labor Relations Commission was postponed on Monday. A crucial second round of mediation is now scheduled for May 27. Should these renewed talks fail to produce an agreement, the **Kakao Corp. union** is also anticipated to move towards **industrial action**, potentially widening the **strike** even further across the **South Korean tech giant**.
The union’s core demands include greater transparency and clearer standards for calculating **performance bonuses**, alongside a comprehensive overhaul of the overall **compensation system** at Kakao and its affiliates.
