Kakao Selected as Operator for Government-Led AI Agent Marketplace Development Support Project

[Financial News] Kakao said on the 6th that it had been selected as the operator for the AI Agent Marketplace Development Support Project, which is overseen by the Ministry of Science and ICT and managed by the National Information Society Agency (NIA).
Kakao will form a consortium with Kakao Enterprise and work to build a private-sector-led open ecosystem by December next year. The project will be carried out with a total budget of about 11 billion won, combining government funding and private-sector contributions.
The AI Agent Marketplace is a platform where users can search for and use everything from AI agent services to agentic AI tools in one place. Kakao’s consortium plans to build an AI agent ecosystem that provides the full process, from agent registration and verification to discovery, combination, execution and settlement, on a single platform.
The first launch is targeted for later this year, and a second launch is planned for 2027 after further upgrades, including an agent studio.
The marketplace will be designed as an open structure that is not tied to any specific cloud or AI model. It will connect Kakao’s in-house AI model, Kanana, as well as a range of domestic and global AI models. It will also support free integration of tools within the platform through external Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
To ensure reliability, all AI tools registered on the platform will go through multiple verification steps, including security reviews, sandbox testing and hallucination control, before publication. The company also plans to operate a continuous re-verification system during the service phase.
For the marketplace buildout, Kakao’s consortium plans to deploy a wide range of technical capabilities. It will also run support programs to help activate the ecosystem.
Kim Se-woong, Kakao’s AI Synergy Performance Lead, said, "We are at a turning point where both demand and supply for AI agents are opening up at the same time." He added, "Based on Kakao’s AI technology and platform operation experience, we will set a standard for a trustworthy AI agent ecosystem that developers, companies and anyone else can rely on, and we will operate it as a sustainable marketplace."
[email protected] Joo Won-kyu Reporter