The English version is provided for reference purposes, and the legally binding Korean version shall prevail if there are any conflicts between the English and Korean versions.
Kakao Corporation (hereinafter, “Kakao”) has prepared the Terms of Service to prescribe conditions, procedures and other regulations necessary for members to use platforms that are needed to develop web services, mobile application and other application programs (hereinafter, collectively referred to as “Programs”), as well as the Kakao Developer Website (https://developers.kakao.com, hereinafter, the “Developer Website”), which offers supplemental features that can connect to various services.
① “Service” refers to all services provided by Kakao via the Developer Website to support members when they develop Programs, and includes, but is not limited to, platform API and service API.
② “Member” refers to an individual who has a Kakao Account, has entered into a use agreement with Kakao in accordance to this Terms of Service, and is developing a Program via the Developer Website.
③ “API” or Application Programming Interface, refers to the interface that is needed to use technology provided by Kakao on the Member’s application.
④ “Application” collectively refers to the Member’s application, Program or website the Member wishes to apply the API to.
⑤ “Biz App” refers to the Application the business information is registered in.
⑥ “Kakao Business” refers to entire online and mobile business-related services that require a separate signup to use relevant business functions among all the services provided by Kakao.
① Kakao shall post the Terms of Service on the Developer Website’s home page to enable easily access for Members.
② Kakao may modify the Terms of Service within a scope that does not contravene the Regulation of Standardized Contracts Act and other relevant laws and regulations.
③ Kakao shall post announcements about any modifications, including the modification application date and reason for modifications, on the Developer Website seven (7) days prior to the effective date. However, if the amendments acts at a disadvantage to the Member, Kakao shall individually send a notification thirty (30) days prior to the effective date, as is prescribed in Article 9 Paragraph 1.
④ Unless the Member explicitly refuses, the Member shall be presumed to have consented to the amendments, even after Kakao clearly states in the aforementioned announcement or notification that the Member shall be deemed to have expressed their opinion if they fail to do so within a specified period of time.
⑤ Kakao shall not apply the amended Terms of Service if the Member does not consent to its application, and in which case, the Member may terminate the use agreement. However, Kakao may terminate the use agreement if the previous Terms of Service cannot be applied due to specific circumstances.
① Kakao may have a separate Service Operating Policy (hereinafter “Operating Policy”), which shall govern the provision of services.
② Any matters not prescribed in the Terms of Service shall be subject to the Operating Policy, relevant laws and regulations or business practices.
① The individual who wishes to become a Member of the Service (hereinafter the “Subscription Applicant”) can subscribe as a Member of the Service by agreeing to the provisions in the Terms of Service and submitting a subscription application in accordance with procedures provided by Kakao. The Subscription Applicant will be subscribed to the Service once Kakao approves their application.
② Any Subscription Applicant shall be permitted in principle to use the Service. However, Kakao may withhold or refuse to approve the Subscription Applicants use of the Service, or terminate the use agreement at a later date, if the Subscription Applicant falls under any of the following subparagraphs:
③ Kakao may defer approval if Kakao does not have sufficient equipment for the Service or is experiencing technical or business issues.
① The Member can view or update their personal information through the Developer Website at any time.
② If information that was submitted during the subscription process has changed, the Member shall update their information through the Developer Website or notify Kakao of the changes via email or other means.
③ Kakao shall not be responsible for any disadvantages that occur due to the Member’s failure to notify Kakao of the aforementioned changes.
Kakao strives to protect the personal information of its members in compliance with the Personal Information Protection Act and other relevant laws and regulations. Relevant laws and regulations and personal information processing policies shall be applied with regard to the protection and use of personal information.
① The Member shall be responsible for managing their own Developer Website account and shall prohibit any third party from using their account.
② The Member shall immediately notify Kakao and follow directions if they become aware that their account has been stolen or is being used by a third party.
③ Kakao shall not be responsible for any damages that result from the Member’s failure to immediately notify Kakao or follow Kakao’s directions after notifying Kakao in the event of the aforementioned Paragraph.
① Kakao can notify Members through the email the Member provided when subscribing, or via SMS and Kakao Talk messages.
② Kakao may substitute individual notifications with notifications posted on the Developer Website message board if Members cannot be notified individually due to changes in contact information or their failure to provide contact information at the time of subscription, or when notifying multiple unspecified Members.
① Kakao shall abide by provisions in the Terms of Service and in related laws, and will exert efforts to provide the Service in a continuous and stable manner.
② Kakao shall provide a security system to protect personal information (including credit information) to ensure that the Member can use the Service safely, and also announce and conform to the Privacy Policy.
③ Kakao shall process comments or complaints filed by the Member in regards to the use of the Service if such comments or complaints are deemed justifiable. The resolution process and its results may be shared through a message board in the Developer Website or by email.
④ Kakao may post the Member’s name, logo and/or contents, free-of-charge, in order to promote the Member’s use of the Service. However, the posting can be deleted or modified through mutual agreement upon the Member’s request.
① The Member shall abide by related laws, the Terms of Service, Operating Policy, user guide and notifications and announcements posted by Kakao, and shall not interfere with Kakao’s business.
② The Member shall not commit any of the following actions in using the Service. In any of the following actions, Kakao may suspend the member’s use of the Service or terminate the Service Agreement without any prior notice.
③ The Member shall not, without prior approval from Kakao, copy, duplicate, modify, translate, publish, broadcast, enter into a search engine or directory, or use other means to use, or provide any third person with, information (including data, secret key, access token) that was acquired while using the Service and/or the Developer Website. However, such information can be shared if a confidentiality agreement is entered into through a representative.
④ The Member shall faithfully comply with any requests Kakao makes for resources, accessing authorities or justifications of related facts in order to verify whether the Service is provided or if any violations have been made in regards to the Terms of Service.
⑤ The Member shall regularly check for version updates on features Kakao provides through the Service, including software development kits (SDK).
⑥ Members must comply with all of the following items with regard to the protection of personal information in any program they operate. If Kakao becomes aware that you have violated the obligation herein, Kakao may restrict your use of the Service or terminate the relevant service agreement:
⑦ The Member shall abide by the Personal Information Protection Act, the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, other related laws and regulations, as well as policies and guidelines provided by associated organizations if the Member provided Kakao with the service user’s data while using technology or API that can collect/analyze user data.
⑧ If the data set forth in Paragraph 7 corresponds to personal information, Members must obtain consent from their users to provide personal information to third parties pursuant to the Personal Information Protection Act.
⑨ Kakao may file claims for damages against the Member if Kakao experiences damages due to the Member’s violation of the obligations in this Article.
① Services are classified as follows:
② The Member shall be able to obtain Biz App permissions by registering business operator information after creating an application. Moreover, the Member must agree to ‘Kakao Business Terms of Service’ and create an account for relevant services to use functions required to be connected to the business among APIs provided in the service. The types and contents of functions required to be connected to the business shall be determined by the Operating Policy.
③ Kakao may announce information on how to subscribe and use the Service, as well as provide other details about the Service, through the Developer Website. The Member shall review the information carefully before using the Service.
① Services provided by Kakao may be provided differently depending on the Member’s qualifications and/or the Application’s status.
② If Kakao offers a premium Service, the Member shall use the premium Service after agreeing to a premium use agreement. Specifics of a premium Service is detailed in the premium use agreement, as well as the premium policy description section in the Developer Website.
③ As a rule, use of the Service shall continue 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, unless specific failures in Kakao’s business or technology makes Service use unavailable.
④ Kakao may temporarily suspend the provision of the Service due to reasons including maintenance, replacement, malfunction and/or failures of communication of information and communication facilities, including computers, due to loss of communication or reasonable operational issues. In such an event, Kakao shall notify the Member using methods stated in Article 9. However, Kakao may notify the Member ex post facto if situations prohibit Kakao from posting notifications in advance.
⑤ Kakao may conduct regular maintenance if it is necessary to provide the Service. Maintenance shall be conducted at the time that is posted on the Developer Website.
⑥ If Kakao transmits information upon the request of Programs, Kakao may also send information that is deemed necessary by Kakao, including ads or webpages that are linked to ads.
① Kakao may modify the Service’s contents, operational and/or technical components in order to provide the Service in a stable manner.
② Kakao shall post a notification of any Service modifications and the modification execution date on the Developer Website in advance.
③ Kakao may update, suspend, or modify parts or the whole of the Service, which is provided free-of-charge, if it is necessary for Kakao’s policy or operational needs. Kakao shall not provide separate compensation to the Member, unless specified in provisions of related laws.
① The copyright and intellectual property right of the Service shall belong to Kakao. However, this excludes postings and Programs uploaded and developed by the Member.
② Kakao shall only grant the Member the right to use the account and Developer Website in accordance with conditions defined by Kakao, and the Member shall not transfer, sell, provide as collateral, or dispose of such rights in any way.
① The Member may access the Developer Website and request to terminate the Service use agreement at any time, and Kakao shall immediately process the Member’s request, as is defined in related laws.
② If the Member’s use agreement is terminated, Kakao shall delete all of the Member’s information, unless Kakao owns the Member information as prescribed in related laws and the Privacy Policy.
③ If the Member’s Service use agreement is terminated, the Member’s information may not be re-used to subscribe again, as is prescribed in the Service Operating Policy.
④ If the Member does not submit a Service request through the Program for six (6) consecutive months or more, Kakao may notify the Member and terminate the Member’s account for Service stability purposes.
⑤ If Kakao or a Member’s violation of provisions in the Terms of Service results in damages to the other party, the violating party shall compensate for damages experienced by the other party.
⑥ If a third party other than a Member files for appeals, including claims for damages or lawsuits, against Kakao due to a Member’s illegal activity or violation of the Terms of Service, the Member at fault shall burden all costs and responsibilities to exempt Kakao and compensate for any resulting damages.
① Kakao may gradually limit the Member’s rights to use the Service, through warnings, data deletion requests, temporary suspensions (including limiting developer and app’s access to Platform features), and terminate the use agreement if the Member violates obligations defined in the Terms of Service and the Operating Policy or interrupts the normal operations of the Service.
② Kakao may immediately terminate the Service use agreement if the Member violates existing laws, despite the provisions in the Paragraph above.
③ Kakao shall provide notifications to the Member in accordance with provisions in Article 9 if use of the Service is restricted or the use agreement is terminated in accordance with this Article.
④ The Member may submit a formal objection to the restriction of use using procedures defined by Kakao. If Kakao deems the objection to be justifiable, Kakao shall immediately restore the Member’s ability to use the Service.
① Kakao shall be exempt from any responsibilities related to the provision of the Service if Kakao is unable to provide the Service due to natural disasters, DDOS attacks, IDC failures, telecommunication service provider circuit failures or other force majeure.
② Kakao shall not be responsible for failures that occur due to reasons that are attributable to the Member during the use of the Service.
③ Kakao shall not guarantee the reliability, accuracy or legitimacy of the service developed by the Member, and shall not be responsible for any associated issues that may arise.
④ Kakao only provides supplemental features needed to develop the Member’s Programs through the Service, and does not guarantee any improvement in results through the use of the Service.
⑤ Kakao shall not be responsible for the use of the Service, which is provided free-of-charge, unless provisions specified in related laws state otherwise.
① Disputes that arise between Kakao and the Member shall be governed by the laws of the Republic of Korea.
② Lawsuits surrounding disputes that arise between Kakao and the Member shall be brought to the competent court stated in the Civil Procedure Act.
① The Terms of Service shall become effective on February 1, 2021. However, the Terms of Service shall be applied to new Members on the day they subscribe to the Service if they subscribe between the Terms of Service announcement date and one (1) day prior to the effective date.
View the previous versions of Kakao Developers Terms of Service.