Kakao Mobility, a subsidiary of South Korean tech giant Kakao Corp., is expanding its k.ride taxi service for international travelers to 12 additional countries as part of its global expansion efforts. Previously limited to South Korea for inbound visitors, the company announced on Thursday that the ride-hailing app will now be available in Japan, the United States, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Cambodia, and Saudi Arabia.
Launched in June last year, k.ride was initially designed to provide taxi services to international visitors in Korea. With this expansion, Kakao Mobility aims to increase its presence in global mobility markets and attract more foreign users. The move is expected to compete and challenge established players like Uber.
With the k.ride app, travelers can seamlessly book various ride-hailing services integrated with major local mobility providers in the newly added countries. The app supports taxis, premium sedans, and mid-to-large-sized SUVs, ensuring a smooth travel experience. Designed exclusively for international users, k.ride allows easy sign-up using a phone number, followed by verification through Google, Apple, or email authentication.
To eliminate language barriers, k.ride includes an automatic translation feature supporting over 100 languages, such as Japanese, Arabic, Thai, Chinese, and English. This allows users to effortlessly communicate when searching for locations or chatting with drivers. The app also improves payment convenience by enabling automatic transactions via international credit cards and supporting various overseas mobile payment methods.
Since its launch in June 2023, k.ride has catered to tourists from over 100 countries, providing ride-hailing services such as Kakao T Blue, Venti, Black, and Premium taxis. The platform has been widely used for major tourism events like the Seoul Lantern Festival and the Korea Grand Sale, boosting accessibility for international visitors. As of March 2025, k.ride has facilitated over 600,000 ride requests in Korea and recorded more than 600,000 downloads globally.
Data reveals that 58% of k.ride users come from China, Japan, the United States, Taiwan, and Singapore. By leveraging user insights, Kakao Mobility plans to refine services for foreign visitors in Korea while expanding its presence in international markets. The company aims to strengthen partnerships with local ride-hailing providers to improve service availability across multiple regions.
“With the expansion of k.ride to international markets, we are committed to advancing our global mobility platform,” said Ryu Geung-seon, CEO of Kakao Mobility. “Our goal is to make ride-hailing services accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world, without limitations on language, account setup, or payment methods.”
Kakao Mobility plans to further refine k.ride by leveraging user data to enhance its services for international travelers. The company remains committed to expanding its global mobility platform, ensuring seamless ride-hailing access for users worldwide. “We will continue to improve k.ride so that anyone, anywhere can conveniently use our mobility services,” said CEO Ryu Geung-seon.
Meanwhile, Korean users can access taxi-hailing services in over 30 countries through the Kakao T app. Additionally, the company provides rental car reservation services in key travel destinations, including Japan, the United States, and Europe, offering more flexibility for travelers.
