Line Games Vice President Kim Tae-hwan Resigns, Merger with Kakao Games Imminent?
라인게임즈 김태환 부사장 퇴사, 카카오게임즈 합병 수순?
2026.05.22 12:06 UTC+9

It has come to light that Kim Tae-hwan, Vice President of Line Games, has recently resigned from the company.
According to reporting by Gamemeca, the former Line Games VP, Kim Tae-hwan, left the company around March-April. He's a figure who joined Nexon in the early 2000s, serving as Head of Strategic Planning, Director of Planning Coordination, and Vice President of Nexon Korea. In 2023, he joined Line Games and, alongside CEO Park Sung-min, was responsible for Line Games' overall business strategy.
The reasons behind the former VP's departure and his future plans remain unknown. However, the industry is taking note of the timing of his resignation,which coincides with the change in Kakao Games' largest shareholder in March to LAAA Investment, funded by Line Yahoo.Speculation is rife that this could be a step towards merging Line Games and Kakao Games, with the former VP potentially taking a leadership role at Kakao Games. This speculation has been circulating since the change in Kakao Games' largest shareholder.
The proposed merger between the two companies has been a recurring topic since the change in Kakao Games' largest shareholder. The core idea is to seek a turnaround through a merger, given that both Kakao Games and Line Games have recently experienced operating losses.
In response to these rumours, a Kakao Games representative stated that the entire company is currently focused on preparing new titles for the second half of the year and that there are no ongoing matters involving Line Games. A Line Games representative confirmed the news of Kim's departure but added that there was no information regarding any dealings with Kakao Games.

라인게임즈 김태환 부사장이 최근 라인게임즈를 퇴사한 것으로 알려졌다.
게임메카 취재에 따르면 라인게임즈 김태환 전 부사장은 지난 3~4월경 라인게임즈를 퇴사했다. 그는 2000년대 초반 넥슨에 합류해, 전략기획실장, 기획조정이사, 넥슨코리아 부사장을 역임한 인물이다. 지난 2023년에는 라인게임즈에 입사해 박성민 대표와 함께 라인게임즈 비즈니스 전략 전반을 책임졌다.
김 전 부사장의 퇴사 사유와 이후 행보에 대해서는 아직 알려지지 않았다. 다만 업계에서는 김 전 부사장의 퇴사 시기가 지난 3월, 카카오게임즈 최대주주가 라인야후에서 출자한 LAAA 인베스트먼트로 변경된 시점과 비슷하다는 점에 주목하고 있다. 김 전 부사장이 카카오게임즈 대표직으로 부임해, 라인게임즈와 카카오게임즈를 합병하려는 절차가 아닌가 하는 추측이다.
두 회사의 합병은 카카오게임즈 최대주주 변경 시점부터 꾸준히 대두됐던 주제다. 최근 카카오게임즈와 라인게임즈가 연이어 영업손실을 기록하며 부진을 면치 못하고 있기에, 합병을 통해 반등을 꾀한다는 것이 골자다.
이와 관련해 카카오게임즈 관계자는 현재 회사 전체가 하반기 신작 준비에 집중하고 있으며, 라인게임즈와 연관되어 진행 중인 건은 없다고 설명했다. 라인게임즈 관계자 역시 김 전 부사장의 퇴사 소식은 확인했으나, 카카오게임즈와 관련된 소식은 알려지지 않았다고 밝혔다.
This news was translated by AI.
Lee Woo Min, Reporter
I will greet you with a good article.niro201@gamemeca.com
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