Kakao Entertainment
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2021 |
| Legal Structure | |
| Industry | Webtoons,Web novels,Music streaming |
| Also known as | |
| Official website | https://www.kakaoent.com/ |
Readers who bought chapters on Kakao Entertainment's Radish & Tapas apps lose them when each app shuts down, with no refund & no copy they can keep.[2][1][3][4][5][6][7] Radish, an English-language app for web novels (stories released chapter by chapter to read on a phone, such as the romance Torn Between Alphas), closed on December 31, 2025;[2][3][8][1][6] its readers had bought coins with real money through their phone's app store, or earned them free in events, & spent them to unlock chapters.[9][8] Tapas, which hosts webtoons (comics made to be read on a phone by scrolling down, such as Solo Leveling), will close on March 31, 2027;[4][6][10][11] readers unlock its episodes with Ink, which until October 1, 2026 they bought with real money by credit card, PayPal, Apple or Google, or earned free.[12][4][6][5]
Kakao Entertainment took over the music streaming service Melon from the South Korean technology company Kakao in 2021;[13] a Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) order against Kakao to take corrective measures over Melon's app making it hard for subscribers to cancel & get refunds was upheld by South Korea's Supreme Court in 2025.[14][15]
Background
[edit | edit source]The boards of Kakao Page Corp. & Kakao M Corp. approved a merger of the two companies to form Kakao Entertainment, the companies announced on January 25, 2021.[16] Both were subsidiaries of Kakao Corp., the technology company behind the messaging app KakaoTalk.[16] Kakao Page Corp. produced original webtoon & web novel content & ran a global platform network, while Kakao M made music, TV series & films.[16] The two had merged into Kakao Entertainment by March 4, 2021.[17] In South Korea, Kakao Entertainment runs two webtoon & web novel platforms, KakaoPage & Kakao Webtoon.[18][6]
Kakao Entertainment acquired Tapas & Radish in 2021 & merged the two into Tapas Entertainment in 2022.[6][19] The anime news site Anime News Network reported that the acquisitions valued Tapas at about US$510 million & Radish at about US$440 million.[6] Kakao, which acquired Melon in 2016,[14] split off the Melon business unit in July 2021 & transferred it to Kakao Entertainment two months later.[13]
Incidents
[edit | edit source]| Platform | End of service | Unspent in-app currency | Purchased content |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tapas | March 31, 2027[4] | Non-refundable[4] | Inaccessible after the end of service; cannot be transferred to another Kakao service[4] |
| Radish | December 31, 2025[1] | Non-refundable[1] | Inaccessible after the end of service;[3] cannot be downloaded[1] |
| Kakao Webtoon Taiwan | Set for November 27, 2025[20] | Refund applications scheduled from November 28 to December 27, 2024[20][21] | Viewable only until November 27, 2025 for readers who did not choose a refund, per the Taiwanese news site ETtoday[21] |
| Kakao Webtoon (South Korea) | Merging into KakaoPage by the end of 2026[6] | Being moved to KakaoPage, per the South Korean news site Lead Economy[19] | Reading history being moved to KakaoPage, per Lead Economy[19] |
Tapas shutdown
[edit | edit source]- Main article: Tapas shutdown and loss of purchased content
Kakao Entertainment announced on September 22, 2026 that it would shut down Tapas,[6][18] & since October 1, 2026 readers have been unable to acquire Ink, including free Ink earned through the app.[4] The Beat, a comics news site, reported in September 2026 that data released by Tapas Entertainment put Tapas at 10 million cumulative registered users.[10] Tapas's help center says unlocked episodes can be downloaded for offline reading in the app, but downloads are "automatically removed from your device after 30 days" & are "only intended for reading within Tapas".[7]
In South Korea, Kakao Entertainment plans to merge KakaoPage & Kakao Webtoon into one platform centered on KakaoPage by the end of 2026.[6] Lead Economy reported on October 2, 2026 that Kakao Entertainment is moving Kakao Webtoon users' reading history & remaining cash balances to KakaoPage in that merger, while it told Tapas users that moving their assets to KakaoPage or any other platform is impossible for technical & policy reasons.[19]
Radish shutdown
[edit | edit source]Radish was Kakao Entertainment's English-language web novel platform in the United States.[2] In September 2020, Radish's help center told readers that "Any episode that you paid for is yours to keep forever!" & that "Purchasing episodes means you have them forever!"[22][9] In an email to users on July 3, 2025, quoted by the comics news site K-Comics Beat, Radish said its service would end on December 31, 2025, after which "all remaining coins, coupons, gift passes or unlocked chapters will become inaccessible".[3] A Kakao Entertainment spokesperson said the closure was part of an effort to "refocus global strategy" by strengthening Tapas as its core platform in North America.[2]
Radish stopped selling coins on September 1, 2025, when it closed its Coin Store.[1] Its help center says stories cannot be downloaded & that reading history cannot be transferred to Tapas, which it calls its sister app; readers who try to open stories they unlocked receive a network error after January 1, 2026.[1]
Kakao Webtoon Taiwan closure
[edit | edit source]The South Korean newspaper Maeil Business Newspaper reported on October 21, 2024 that Kakao Entertainment had told major content providers by email that it had decided to end the Kakao Webtoon Taiwan & Indonesia services.[23] ETtoday reported in October 2024 that the Taiwan market had fallen short of expectations.[21] Kakao Webtoon's official notice to Taiwanese readers, reported by the Taiwanese gaming news site Bahamut GNN in October 2024, set November 1, 2024 as the last day to buy coins.[20] Readers with unspent coins were given a one-month window, from November 28 to December 27, 2024, to apply for a refund, & the end of the Taiwan service was set for November 27, 2025.[20][21] ETtoday reported that readers who did not choose a refund could view comics bought on the platform only until November 27, 2025.[21]
Melon subscription cancellation notices
[edit | edit source]From May 2017 to May 2021, when Melon subscribers canceled in the app, the service did not immediately end the subscription or refund the remaining period; it stopped automatic payments from the following month, & immediate cancellation with a refund was possible only through the PC website or customer service.[14] In January 2024, the KFTC fined Kakao 98 million won (US$64,200) & issued corrective orders, after finding that Kakao had not properly told users they could cancel partway through a subscription period.[15][13] The Chosun Daily, a South Korean newspaper, reported that the KFTC deemed the conduct an "act of obstructing contract termination through deceptive methods".[14]
Melon was operated by Kakao Entertainment at the time of the sanction.[13] The South Korean business news site ChosunBiz reported that the KFTC said the Electronic Commerce Act gave it no basis to sanction Kakao Entertainment.[13]
Kakao sued, arguing that it had posted how to cancel partway through a subscription period on its customer service page & FAQ & had no intent to deceive consumers.[14] The Seoul High Court sided with the KFTC in January 2025.[15] In November 2025, the Supreme Court upheld the corrective order but sent the fine back to the Seoul High Court,[14][15] which canceled the fine in June 2026, saying the law allows a fine in place of a business suspension only when a suspension would seriously inconvenience consumers.[15]
Melon promotions and price change notices
[edit | edit source]In August 2019, the KFTC announced that it would fine five music streaming companies a combined 296 million won (US$244,000), & that Melon, then run by Kakao, had committed the most violations & would pay 193 million won.[24] The KFTC said Melon misinformed users about its discount promotions; one campaign charged new users 100 won for the first month, but the discount carried additional requirements, such as two months of use, listed only in small print below the purchase button.[24]
The KFTC also said Melon misled users when it tried to raise prices in late 2016.[24] According to the KFTC, Melon advertised that it would keep prices unchanged for users who approved a service agreement & told users who did not approve that their service would be canceled, but it kept serving those users at the same price.[24]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Radish App Sunset". Radish Help Center. Archived from the original on 2026-10-03. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Wonhee Cho (2025-07-11). "Kakao Entertainment to Shut Down Web Novel Platform Radish by End of 2025". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2026-10-03. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Hayame Kawachi (2025-07-03). "Radish Fiction to shut down by end of 2025". K-Comics Beat. Archived from the original on 2026-10-03. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 "Tapas End of Service FAQ". Tapas. 2026-09-30. Archived from the original on 2026-10-03. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Brett Cardaro (2026-10-01). "Solo Leveling Says Goodbye to 437,000 Fans Forever on March 31". CBR. Archived from the original on 2026-10-03. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 Wonhee Cho (2026-10-01). "Tapas to End Service in March 2027, Leaving Readers Without Access to Purchased Content". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2026-10-03. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Read offline". Tapas. Archived from the original on 2025-10-14. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Ed Nawotka (2025-07-08). "Four Years After Buying It for $440 Million, Kakao to Shutter Radish Fiction". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 2025-09-15. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "What are Coins?". Radish. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Heidi MacDonald (2026-09-22). "Report: Kakao is shutting down Tapas webtoon platform". The Beat. Archived from the original on 2026-09-30. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ Brigid Alverson (2026-09-22). "Kakao Pulls the Plug on Tapas Webtoon Platform". ICv2. Archived from the original on 2026-10-03. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ "What is Ink? How do I get some?". Tapas. Archived from the original on 2025-12-04. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Mun Su-bin (2025-12-02). "Supreme Court quashes Kakao fine, exposes e-commerce law loophole in Korea". ChosunBiz. Archived from the original on 2026-10-03. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Kim Eun-gyeong (2025-11-13). "Supreme Court Upholds Kakao Subscription Cancellation Corrective Order". The Chosun Daily. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 "Court cancels Kakao's fine for failing to fully inform streaming subscribers of cancellation policy". Korea JoongAng Daily. 2026-06-18. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Kakao Page and Kakao M Agree on Strategic Merger to Form Kakao Entertainment". Kakao Entertainment. 2021-01-25. Archived from the original on 2026-10-03. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ Song Kyoung-son (2021-03-04). "Kakao M and Kakao Page merged into Kakao Entertainment". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Choi A-ri (2026-09-22). "Kakao Entertainment Merges Platforms, Shutters North American Tapas". The Chosun Daily. Archived from the original on 2026-10-03. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 유찬형 (2026-10-02). "1조원 쏟고 '빈손'…카카오, 북미 웹툰 타파스 철수". Lead Economy (in 한국어). Archived from the original on 2026-10-03. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Akito (2024-10-29). "KAKAO WEBTOON 正式宣布 2025 年結束台灣區服務 官方公開退款流程與相關時間表". Bahamut GNN (in 中文（臺灣）). Archived from the original on 2026-10-03. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 蘇晟彥 (2024-10-29). "KAKAO WEBTOON台灣關站時間曝光 退款申請「僅開1個月」". ETtoday (in 中文（臺灣）). Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ "Unlocking Episodes". Radish. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 김태성 (2024-10-21). "Kakao will withdraw from the Indonesian and Taiwanese webtoon markets following Europe. The strategy." Maeil Business Newspaper. Archived from the original on 2026-10-03. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 Chae Yun-hwan (2019-08-29). "FTC cracks down on music streaming companies". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2026-10-03.