2. Connecting via Kakao
Kakao COVID-19 Report, 2nd Edition
Connection to COVID-19 related public services: 4,318,376,636 cases
The government has operated many public services to keep the daily life of citizens safe amid the spreading pandemic. Schools had to switch to online classes, and vaccination was conducted for all citizens. Along with quarantine and prevention efforts, the QR check-in service was implemented to revitalize the economy.
To ensure that citizens benefit from the efforts of numerous public servants and relevant people developing public services, 4,318,376,636 cases of public services were connected through Kakao platforms. For successful digital COVID-19 prevention, Kakao provided services worth 9,343 million Korean won for free.
# Talk Channel message – Leftover vaccine booking via ad search
<Talk Channel messages, ads and so on>
Sent 876,103,773 times
Worth 4.313B Korean won
(Message ratios and advertising costs are estimated)
Ratio of leftover vaccine related messages and ads on Kakao platformsTo distribute leftover COVID-19 vaccines smoothly, Kakao began the leftover vaccine booking service on KakaoTalk from May 2021.
From the “Leftover Vaccine” tab to the View tab on KakaoTalk, users could check the information of nearby clinics and hospitals which had leftover vaccines, and reserve vaccination slots in real time. The information of clinics and hospitals with leftover vaccines were exposed in a map format through links to KakaoMap. Kakao also provided a KakaoTalk alert service which provided a notification when leftover vaccines became available at a medical facility selected by a user.
The leftover vaccine booking service has been exposed through KakaoTalk Bizboard ads (650,380,914 times), the More tab on KakaoTalk (149,299,461 times), Talk Channel messages (72,890,420 times), search banner ads (3,532,978 times), and so on, and a total of 4,313,000,000 Korean won in advertising costs was provided for free.
Leftover vaccine booking screen on KakaoTalk# Kakao TV – Supporting the start of a contactless school year
<Kakao TV Live>
Mar. 25 ~ June 5 Broadcasting of EBS online school courses
In March 2020, the government postponed the start of a new school year for elementary, middle and high schools due to the spread of COVID-19. The “EBS 2-Week Live Special School Courses” was broadcasted to address the learning gap made by a sudden delay in the start of the school year, and KakaoTV also helped students have access to the online lectures without any issue.
During this period, students could watch live lectures without login on the Daum portal, KakaoTalk, Pot Player, Kakao TV Live app and so on. EBS broadcast the EBS Online Special School Courses for 10 school year levels in elementary, middle and high schools between Mar. 25 and Apr. 17, and the “Online School Classes” for 12 school year levels in secondary education between Apr. 20 and June 5.
# Kakao Certificate – Establishment of a vaccination booking system
<Vaccination Booking>
42,412,863 cases
worth 1.270 billion won
(Estimation on the cost of message transmission)
With the development of COVID-19 vaccines, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) began vaccination against COVID-19 in March 2021. Kakao also implemented a system delivering vaccination booking notifications on KakaoTalk as part of its efforts to support public services.
KakaoTalk users could perform self-verification in the KDCA vaccination booking system using Kakao Certificate, and received booking details such as vaccination date and location via KakaoTalk messages. Through this system, a total of 42,412,863 vaccination bookings have been made. Kakao provided 1,270,000,000 won worth of message transmission costs free of charge.
A service image of Kakao Certificate# KakaoTalk – Shake for QR check-in
<Cumulative QR Check-in Issuance>
3.329 billion cases
worth 1.487 billion won
(Estimated advertisement costs)
As COVID-19 infection risk increased, the Central Disaster Management Headquarters required all COVID-19 high risk facilities such as clubs, karaokes and bars to adopt the electronic entry log system (KI-Pass: Korea Internet Pass) in early June 2020.
The purpose of this measure was to secure data for the activity routes of confirmed patients. As such, Kakao tried to find a way to support disease control infrastructure while putting privacy protection as a priority, and came up with a solution: a service helping users present their vaccination status conveniently using the QR check-in system without having to open another app or carrying a paper certificate.
The QR check-in service separates user information from entry records, and the issued QR codes are stored after encryption. To date, 3,329,000,000 QR check-ins have been performed on KakaoTalk, which is worth approximately 1,487,000,000 won.
Kakao QR check-in service screen# Virtual assistant: Information on the National Support Fund
<Messages related to Virtual Assistant ‘Goodpy’>
33.44 million messages
<Messages related to the National Support Fund>
37.42 million messages
<Total Cost>
2.273 billion won
(Estimation of message transmission costs)
The outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in the demand for various public services. Not only notifications for matters required for health care such as vaccination booking and QR check-in, but also communications for households, companies, small business owners damaged by the pandemic, were needed.
Kakao provided various notifications to users by applying Virtual Assistant ‘Goodpy’ developed by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Also, notifications regarding the application for and use of the National Support Fund were delivered to users through KakaoTalk.
# Other public services
Other than the National Support Fund, notifications in the following categories are available on Virtual Assistant ‘Goodpy’: ▲Traffic violation fines ▲driver’s license renewal ▲school bus driver education ▲senior driver education ▲application for national scholarship (college students) ▲the date of the national health checkup and so on. With these services, Kakao plans to assist users to have access to public services more conveniently through the KakaoTalk platform.
Sign-up process for Virtual Assistant ‘Goodpy’# Kakao X MOIS: Better services through collaboration with the government
On June 17, 2020, when COVID-19 was sweeping through the country, Kakao and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) signed a business agreement. The agreement was especially meaningful because it allowed public services to be opened to private companies, enabling citizens to carry out certificate issuance, tax payment and public service booking and so on. through apps as part of the Digital Government Innovation initiative.
The business agreement between Kakao and the MOIS included the following:
1. Cooperation between two parties to help citizens have access to public services more easily
2. Application of AI and certification technologies to public domains, and
3. Trial applications in plausibly cooperative areas of the tasks of the Digital Government Innovation
In addition, on Dec. 21, 2020, Kakao was chosen as a contractor for a pilot project planned by the MOIS, the expanded implementation of electronic signatures in public areas.
The project enabled users who have signed up for a Kakao Wallet and completed authentication, to use public services such as Government 24 and Home Tax more easily through KakaoTalk, starting from 2021.
With regard to this project, Kakao won a commendation from the Minister of the Interior and Safety in the 2021 Digital Government Information Protection Commendation ceremony in recognition of its active support to public services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Business Agreement Signing Ceremony between Kakao and the MOIS for Digital Government Innovation[Kakao TV] What we can do in a world halted by COVID-19
Kakao’s commitment and responsibility to make the world a better place. At the forefront to unprecedented changes brought about by the pandemic, Kakao posed a question “What should we do?” and then tried its best to make meaningful changes in its own ways. This is a story of people at Kakao who have worked round the clock doing their jobs to help other people have a safe tomorrow.
2022 Kakao COVID-19 Report, 2nd Edition
Part 1: Standing up to COVID-19
Part 2: Connecting via Kakao
Part 3: Helping small businesses
Part 4: We are in this together
Part 5: Life goes on
Part 6: Kakao is always nearby
Part 7: For our Krew’s safety
2020 COVID-19 Report, 1st Edition click here
Kakao Corporation owns the publication rights to the Kakao COVID-19 Report, and prohibits the use of the Kakao COVID-19 Report for commercial purposes. The Kakao COVID-19 Report must be mentioned as the source, even when the data is used or cited within circumstances specified by copyright law.
Click below to download PDF version of the Kakao COVID-19 Report.