Kakao said it will take part in the 2026 Korea Small Business Convention, to be held at BEXCO in Busan on Oct. 23-24, to introduce its small business support and regional mutual growth programmes.

Kakao will set up a separate booth at the event’s mutual growth cooperation hall. It will present programmes that support small merchants’ digital transformation and expansion of customer touchpoints, including Project Dangol, Gotgot and the Kakao Business Boss Community.

Project Dangol is a programme that supports digital transformation training and online and offline promotion for traditional markets and local shopping districts. Kakao has operated the programme since 2022 with the Small Enterprise and Market Service, local merchant associations and partner organisations.

Gotgot, which started this year, is a programme that promotes local commercial districts through content featuring stories of local shops and offline programmes.

The Kakao Business Boss Community provides guidance on how to use Kakao Business and offers marketing training for small merchants. It also supports business owners in the same industry in sharing operating experience.

Kakao will also introduce its region-based AI start-up support initiative. Kakao AI Dot is a cooperative body that supports an AI start-up ecosystem outside the Seoul metropolitan area by linking Kakao Group’s technology and business infrastructure with the research capabilities of four science and technology institutes. It is pursuing AI talent development, support for start-ups and commercialisation, and connections between founders and investors.

Kakao will also introduce its AI service Kanana at the booth and run a photo zone event for visitors.

The Korea Small Business Convention is hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Busan Metropolitan City and organised by the Small Enterprise and Market Service and the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise. This year, it will hold an awards ceremony for meritorious small merchants, a product promotion and sales exhibition, hands-on experience halls by industry and a policy forum.

Kwon Dae-yeol (권대열), Kakao’s head leader for sustainable management, said, "We will continue mutual growth cooperation so that small merchants can use technology and platforms to expand customer touchpoints and grow."