Uber is reportedly reviewing the possibility of purchasing a controlling stake in Kakao Mobility, the mobility arm tied to South Korea's Kakao ecosystem, according to a report from Seoul Economic Daily.
The report states that Uber has made its intention known to major shareholders of Kakao Mobility and is carrying out due diligence on the opportunity. The company is described as seeking more than a 50% ownership position.
Specifically, the stake Uber is targeting would encompass a 28% holding attributed to a consortium led by TPG, a 6.17% stake owned by Carlyle, and a portion of the shares retained by Kakao Corp. The article gives a market valuation for Kakao Mobility of roughly 5.5 trillion won.
At this stage, the engagement is reported as exploratory and conditional. The references to active due diligence and the composition of the share block indicate that any transaction would involve negotiations with multiple large shareholders rather than a single seller. The reported components of the stake - the TPG-led consortium, Carlyle, and Kakao Corp - underscore that assembling a majority position would require agreements across several parties.
Those facts - the ongoing review, the specific shareholdings named, and the valuation estimate - are the only details reported to date. No timetable, financing plan, or confirmation from the companies involved was included in the report cited.
Given the limited public information available, key aspects remain unresolved publicly: whether due diligence will conclude with a definitive offer, how negotiations over the specific share parcels would proceed, and whether the estimate of 5.5 trillion won aligns with final pricing if a transaction is pursued.
This account is based on the cited report and reflects the details that were disclosed about the potential move by Uber and the ownership composition at Kakao Mobility.