[Edaily Reporter Lee So-Hyun ] Naver (NAVER(035420)), a leading domestic platform company, and Kakao(035720)are both facing a gap in their open recruitment of new graduates this year.

However, the reasons behind this are different. Kakao has not made plans for a follow-up recruitment drive this year, explaining that the group-wide new graduate recruitment it conducted for the first time last year was not intended to be a regular, annual program. Naver, meanwhile, has not yet finalized whether it will hold a recruitment drive this year as it is restructuring its existing “Team Naver” integrated new graduate recruitment program to align with the AI era.

According to the IT industry on the 21st, Kakao currently has no specific plans or schedule regarding the 2027 group-wide new graduate recruitment.

Last September, Kakao held its first group-wide new graduate recruitment drive, involving six group companies: Kakao, Kakao Games Corp., Kakao Mobility, KakaoBank Corp., Kakao Entertainment, and kakaopay. At the time, despite concerns that the spread of AI could lead to a decline in new graduate hiring, the company drew attention by announcing plans to hire hundreds of new graduates with the goal of securing “AI-native” young talent.

However, Kakao explains that the group-wide recruitment drive was not introduced as a regular annual program.

A Kakao Group HR official stated, “The 2026 Kakao Group open recruitment was the first group-wide open recruitment for new graduates and is not a regular annual recruitment program,” adding, “Currently, there are no specific plans or schedules set for the 2027 group-wide open recruitment.”

The company’s policy is to review whether to conduct open recruitment in the future, taking into account group-wide staffing needs and business conditions. Kakao’s basic hiring method is rolling recruitment, in which personnel are selected on an as-needed basis to fill specific roles.

However, the company maintains that the absence of a group-wide recruitment plan does not mean it is halting the hiring of new graduates or AI talent altogether. A Kakao Group HR official explained, “We are continuing our strategy to secure talent suited for the AI era,” adding, “We are focusing our hiring on individuals who can flexibly respond to changes in technology—including AI—and the business environment, and create new value, based on the expertise and competencies required for each role.”

The company also drew a clear line, stating that it is difficult to directly link the planned spin-offs of Kakao AI and Kakao X next year to the decision regarding group-wide recruitment. Given that last year’s group-wide recruitment was not part of a system intended to be held annually, the company explained that it is difficult to attribute the absence of a recruitment plan this year solely to the organizational restructuring.

Naver Also Undecided on Recruitment… Reexamining the ‘Hiring Formula’ for the AI Era

Naver has also not yet confirmed whether it will hold a unified Team Naver recruitment drive for new graduates this year. However, unlike Kakao, the company explained that it is in the process of redesigning its existing regular recruitment system to align with the AI era.

Previously, Naver had conducted a new graduate recruitment drive every first half of the year since 2023, with major subsidiaries such as Naver, Naver Cloud, Naver Pay, and Snow participating; however, it did not hold a recruitment drive in the first half of this year.

As the spread of AI rapidly transforms work styles and the ideal candidate profile, Naver has embarked on a comprehensive review of its new graduate hiring strategy and evaluation methods.

Hwang Soon-bae, Naver’s Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), stated in a written interview with Edaily last July, “AI is rapidly transforming the way organizations work and their culture,” adding, “We are also deeply considering, from the same perspective, the ideal candidate profile and evaluation methods suitable for this AI transition period.”

Naver also made it clear that project-based internships or role-specific hiring are not intended to replace its existing open recruitment for new graduates. CHRO Hwang explained, “Internships do not replace open recruitment for new graduates, nor do they necessarily lead to a job offer,” adding, “Under the goal of continuously securing outstanding new talent, we plan to flexibly operate various methods—including open recruitment for new graduates, project-based internships, and role-specific hiring.”