[DigitalToday reporter Lee Ho-jung] Kakao will significantly improve access to national park facilities across the country through its everyday messenger and map application.

Kakao said on June 16 it will open a "National Park Facility Reservation" service on KakaoTalk Reservation and KakaoMap.

The service, provided by the Korea National Park Service under the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, lets users search for and book national park facilities such as shelters, campsites and village lodgings. The key is expanding functions that had been available only through the service’s own reservation system to popular platforms.

Users can tap "Reservation" in the More tab on KakaoTalk and then select "National Park". After choosing a facility, users pick the desired location, date and time to complete the booking. Information on 61 facilities across 24 national parks, including Jirisan, Seoraksan, Bukhansan and Taebaeksan, is available at a glance.

Beyond simple bookings, the service also offers first-come and ongoing reservations, as well as lottery functions for shelters and campsites. It also applies existing operating policies consistently, including booking limits for no-shows and advance discounts for people with disabilities and national merit recipients, to reduce confusion.

KakaoMap also supports the same functions. Users can search for "National Park Reservation" in the search bar or tap the reservation button on each national park location detail page to link directly to the service and check locations and make reservations at the same time.

Jihee Kim (김지희), a leader of Kakao’s Reservation Tribe, said, "We worked with the Korea National Park Service to provide an easier and more convenient national park reservation experience on KakaoTalk, which people use in everyday life." She said, "We will continue to strengthen user convenience and accessibility by connecting various daily convenience functions with Kakao’s different services."