SEOUL – Kakao Mobility is aggressively pivoting toward the "in-house" development of autonomous driving technology. By ramping up research and development (R&D) spending to record levels and recruiting top-tier global talent, the South Korean mobility giant aims to challenge the dominance of U.S. and Chinese tech leaders in the self-driving sector.
Surge in R&D Spending
According to the Electronic Disclosure System on April 4, Kakao Mobility spent 772 billion KRW on R&D last year, a 6.7% increase from the previous year. This marks the highest investment in the company’s history. To put this growth in perspective, the figure has surged nearly 2.8 times compared to the 272 billion KRW spent in 2020.
The company's R&D roadmap is currently focused on four key pillars:
Autonomous Platform Development
Self-driving Software (SW) Engineering
Data Collection Vehicle Development
High-Definition (HD) Mapping
Notably, Kakao Mobility has already completed the development of 'AV-KIT,' its proprietary modular sensor kit. The company is now steering toward "End-to-End (E2E) Autonomous Driving," a sophisticated AI model that integrates perception, decision-making, path planning, and control into a single system.
Aggressive Talent Acquisition
Beyond capital, Kakao Mobility is hunting for "Physical AI" experts. Earlier this year, the company established a dedicated Physical AI Division and appointed Professor Jin-kyu Kim of Korea University—a former specialist at Google’s Waymo—as Vice President to lead the unit.
The company has transitioned its recruitment strategy to an "always-on" system for hardware and software engineers. A company representative noted that they are particularly focused on attracting "returnee" talent—Korean experts working at top global tech firms abroad—to bring world-class expertise back to the domestic market.
Financial Stability and Strategic Independence
The push for technological sovereignty is backed by a robust financial performance. In 2025, Kakao Mobility recorded:
Revenue: 739.3 billion KRW
Operating Profit: 115.4 billion KRW
Despite persistent rumors regarding a potential sale, Kakao Group has reportedly solidified its stance to retain management rights, viewing the mobility arm as a core subsidiary.
"Given the strategic nature of autonomous driving projects involving government partnerships, a sale to foreign capital remains unlikely," said an industry insider. "Kakao Mobility is clearly positioning itself to lead the domestic autonomous driving ecosystem this year."
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