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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] SEOUL, November 17 — Kakao is undergoing a full labor inspection by the Ministry of Employment and Labor after employees filed petitions alleging excessive working hours and workplace mistreatment. This marks the company’s first government inspection in four years.
The Seongnam branch of the Central Regional Labor Office launched the inspection following a petition submitted in September by Kakao employees, which was later approved by the petition review committee. Petitioners claim that despite Kakao’s monthly flexible working-hour system, many employees exceeded legal working-hour limits during the settlement period.
The ministry will examine not only potential overwork but also Kakao’s overall workforce management practices— including its flexible hours system, leave and holiday policies, and possible wage violations.
According to the labor union and employees, reports of frequent overtime and workplace bullying increased from July, allegedly driven by managers accelerating project schedules. Work pressure reportedly intensified ahead of the company’s annual developer conference, if(kakao) 2025, due to large-scale feature updates.
Kakao said it will fully cooperate with the inspection.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
