Korean AI Services: HyperCLOVA X, Kakao, SKT, Exaone — 2026-09-19
Kakao and LG Uplus have officially launched their "AI for All" consortium, targeting 30 million users by 2030 with an agentic platform built on KakaoTalk. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) has finalized a massive budget request of 3 trillion won for next year's ICT research, heavily prioritizing physical AI and sovereign model development.
Korean AI Services: HyperCLOVA X, Kakao, SKT, Exaone — 2026-09-19
Top developments
Kakao Consortium Bets on Familiarity to Win Korea's National AI Push
On September 17, 2026, Kakao announced its strategic approach to the government's "AI for All" project, leveraging its dominant messaging app, KakaoTalk, as the primary entry point. The consortium, which includes LG Uplus, aims to deploy agentic AI capabilities that can handle payments and daily tasks, targeting 30 million monthly users by 2030. This move emphasizes "familiarity" over new standalone apps, integrating AI directly into existing user workflows.
Kakao Says "AI for Everyone" Agentic Platform is Core, Beta in October
Kakao confirmed that its "AI for Everyone" service will launch a beta version in October 2026. The service will initially be accessible via a web interface and later through phone access via LG Uplus. A key differentiator is the plan to build an open ecosystem that allows external AI agents to operate on the platform, moving beyond closed proprietary models.
SK Broadband Reveals 55% of Users Choose AI-Recommended Content
SK Broadband released data on September 17, 2026, marking the second anniversary of its "B tv A." generative AI service. The data shows that 1.7 million monthly active users are engaging with the service, with 55% of users selecting content recommended by the AI. The service records 21 million monthly conversations, demonstrating strong consumer adoption of AI-driven media recommendations in the home environment.
Ministry Seeks Nearly 3 Trillion Won for ICT Research in 2027
On September 15, 2026, South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT announced a request for nearly 3 trillion won in ICT research funding for the following year. The largest single allocation, at 384.9 billion won, is dedicated to securing "full-stack" technology in physical AI, covering everything from foundation models to hardware accelerators. This signals a continued governmental push for sovereign AI infrastructure independent of foreign dependencies.
Local view
Local media outlets like Seoul Economic Daily and Digital Today are focusing on the strategic divergence between Kakao's service-first approach and Naver's infrastructure-heavy strategy. The local tech community is closely watching the October beta launch of Kakao's agentic platform, with analysts noting that the integration with LG Uplus could provide a unique telco-AI synergy not seen in other global markets.
Context & numbers
- Target Users: Kakao's consortium aims for 30 million monthly users by 2030.
- Budget Request: The MSIT is requesting ~3 trillion won for 2027 ICT R&D, with 384.9 billion won specifically for physical AI.
- Adoption Stats: SK Broadband's "B tv A." has 1.7 million MAU and 21 million monthly conversations.
On the radar
- October Beta Launch: Kakao's "AI for Everyone" agentic platform is scheduled for a public beta in October 2026.
- Nvidia-Naver Integration: While the $1 billion investment was announced in July, the operational integration of Naver's HyperCLOVA X with Nvidia's sovereign cloud infrastructure remains a key story to watch for performance benchmarks in late Q3/Q4.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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