Before releasing surprise single “Bye, Summer,” actress and singer IU aka Lee Ji-Eun poses for a photocall for The 4th Blue Dragon Series Awards at Paradise City on July 18, 2025 in Incheon, South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)
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With a surprise release from one of its representative artists in IU, Kakao Corp’s stock earned a slight bump on Wednesday, September 10, 2025.
Continuing a positive week on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) since Monday, Kakao Corp’s stock closed at 59,900 Korean won (about $43.16), gaining 300 KRW (nearly 25 cents), to deliver a 0.5% increase for the day.
IU Officially Drops “Bye, Summer” in a Surprise Release
Known as the queen of K-pop and K-dramas, dominating singer-actress IU delighted listeners with the surprise release of her song “Bye, Summer” across streaming platforms. The track quickly scaled the charts of Korea’s domestic services — entering the Top 10 of its most popular service, Melon, within 24 hours — and seems likely to stick around the charts as a track capturing the changing seasons.
The 30 Under 30 – Forbes Asia alum previously performed “Bye, Summer” live in concert, releasing a performance from the finale encore concert of her 2024 HEREH World Tour in Seoul. The live video showcasing the new song and IU’s guitar skills has garnered over 7.4 million views since its upload on YouTube last October.
EDAM Entertainment represents IU, a label especially established for the superstar by Kakao Corp’s Kakao Entertainment division in 2020.
Looking Ahead for Kakao: WOODZ’s Comeback
As IU climbs the K-pop charts, she joins fellow EDAM Entertainment artist WOODZ, the only other singer signed to the agency, who has been riding high with the success of his unexpected breakout hit “Drowning,” originally released back in 2023.
Despite WOODZ being in the process of completing his mandatory South Korean military service, “Drowning” managed to reach No. 1 on Korea’s Circle Digital Chart this past May, with the track remaining a long-lasting hit and still in the Top 10 of many streaming service charts, including the overall Melon chart.
With more attention on him than ever, WOODZ began teasing his return to the music industry in July with the surprise release of a new song, “Smashing Concrete” (above), and an accompanying visualizer that has more than half a million listens on YouTube so far.
Perhaps it’s the element of surprise that’s driving EDAM Entertainment’s success with both WOODZ and IU, as they manage to attract listeners with minimal promotion and buzz.
Kakao Corp’s entertainment division is also home to K-pop labels like Starship Entertainment (which is home to chart-topping acts like IVE, Monsta X, WJSN, CRAVITY, and KiiiKiii), High Up Entertainment (home to girl group STAYC), Atenna (home to several entertainers, soloists, as well as groups like Toy and rookie rock band Dragon Pony), while also having a majority stake in pioneering agency SM Entertainment.
Kakao Entertainment previously shared in statement earlier this year that the company plans to “beef up our competitiveness in the music business, introduce various genres of K-pop to the world, and enhance its global clout” in 2025, while vowing to “support our major artists to further amplify their global presence this year, while discovering new talent across diverse genres and bringing them to the international stage.”
Look out for more big news likely to follow very soon for WOODZ and more.
Kakao Corp’s stock is up nearly 60% year-to-date on the KOSPI.