Kakao Entertainment to Shut Down Tapas and Kakao Webtoon
Kakao Entertainment plans to use the combined platforms' payment and subscription data to develop AI-based content recommendations, so the consolidation is aimed at a recommendation business, not only at cutting platforms.
Key Facts
- Kakao Entertainment plans to shut down its North American platform Tapas and merge Kakao Page and Kakao Webtoon into a single service centered on Kakao Page by the end of 2026.
- Kakao Entertainment plans to notify Tapas publishers and rights holders on Tuesday about the service end date, content management and settlements.
- Kakao Entertainment is expected to announce a detailed transition schedule for Kakao Webtoon and Kakao Page users on September 29.
- The planned consolidation will bring approximately 16,000 original IPs and user data from Kakao Webtoon and Kakao Page together on one platform.
- Kakao Entertainment acquired Tapas and Radish in 2021 for about US$510 million and US$440 million respectively, and shut down Radish in 2025.
Reporting from 2 sources: Anime News Network, Anime Corner.
Kakao Entertainment will close its North American webtoon and webnovel platform Tapas and merge its two South Korean platforms, Kakao Page and Kakao Webtoon, into a single service centered on Kakao Page by the end of 2026. The company plans to notify publishers and rights holders about the Tapas shutdown on Tuesday, covering the service end date, content management and settlements, with no details yet on user refunds or how content and user data will be handled. In South Korea, the consolidation will gather content, user data and about 16,000 original IPs onto Kakao Page. Kakao Entertainment is expected to announce a detailed transition schedule for users of both services on September 29. Most Kakao Webtoon reading histories, remaining cash balances and unused paid reading passes are expected to transfer to Kakao Page, with separate guidance promised on which assets qualify and how the transfers work.
The planned closure of Tapas would end Kakao Entertainment's direct operation of its North American webtoon and webnovel platforms. Kakao Entertainment acquired Tapas and the webnovel platform Radish in 2021, valuing them at about US$510 million and US$440 million respectively, and invested about 1.1 trillion won (about US$780 million) for the two. They merged into Tapas Entertainment in 2022, and Radish was shut down in 2025 with the company then saying it would focus its North American story business on Tapas.
The Korean consolidation goes beyond catalogs. Creator and partner networks, content production operations and marketing resources will be consolidated around Kakao Page. Most Kakao Webtoon users' reading histories, remaining cash balances and unused paid reading passes are expected to transfer to the merged platform, with separate guidance on eligibility and transfer mechanics.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.