Kakao Mobility hires AV research interns

Kakao Mobility has opened applications for an autonomous-driving research engineer internship, adding an intern track to a broader hiring push around self-driving technology and what the company calls “physical AI.” The posting is live on the company’s recruitment site and lists a Sept. 28, 2026 deadline. The role is based at Kakao Mobility’s office in Pangyo, Seongnam, south of Seoul. The internship matters because it places junior talent directly inside Kakao Mobility’s autonomous-driving unit rather than in a general corporate program. Kakao Mobility said in a March hiring announcement that it was expanding recruitment across hardware and software roles to internalize next-generation autonomous-driving technology. The company linked that effort to its goal of building an integrated AI engine based on data assets and years of field testing. (kakaomobility.career.greetinghr.com) ### Where is this internship actually posted, and what does it say? The clearest confirmation is Kakao Mobility’s own job page, which lists “[Focused Hiring] Autonomous Driving Research Engineer (Internship)” and identifies the workplace as Alpha Dome Tower, 152 Pangyo Station-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam. The posting says the role is an internship, open to applicants regardless of prior career history, and closes at 2:59 a.m. on Sept. 28, 2026. (kakaomobility.com) Kakao’s broader careers portal also remains active, though some listings require JavaScript to view in full. The internship page surfaced through Kakao Mobility’s dedicated recruitment system rather than a third-party repost, which makes it the primary source for the opening. ### What kind of autonomous-driving work is Kakao Mobility building around? Kakao Mobility said in a March 19 announcement that it was recruiting across four core autonomous-driving R&D categories spanning hardware, electrical and electronic systems, and software including AI and SLAM. (kakaomobility.career.greetinghr.com) The company said then that it wanted to accelerate internal development of end-to-end autonomous-driving technology. A separate Kakao Mobility technology report says the company develops algorithms for perception, localization, decision-making and driving, while also optimizing sensor configuration, hardware modules and an integrated service platform for dispatch, control and route generation. That description does not name the internship specifically, but it shows the technical stack surrounding the role. (kakaomobility.com) ### How does this fit with Kakao Mobility’s existing self-driving business? Kakao Mobility says its autonomous-driving service is already available through the Kakao T app in serviceable areas. The company’s consumer-facing page says riders can use the service when both pickup and drop-off points fall within operating zones, and that it is working to expand those areas. English-language coverage of the March hiring push said Kakao Mobility has operated a dedicated autonomous-driving organization since 2018 and has run pilot projects in Pangyo, Gangnam, Daegu, Jeju and Sejong. (report.kakaomobility.com) That operating history helps explain why the company is recruiting both experienced engineers and interns around the same technology program. ### Why is the “physical AI” language showing up in this hiring cycle? (kakaomobility.com) Kakao Mobility said in March that the autonomous-driving recruitment drive followed its declaration of a “physical AI” vision and covered R&D spanning both hardware and software. In that statement, the company said it aimed to combine its platform capabilities with autonomous-driving know-how accumulated since 2018. (en.sedaily.com) Seoul Economic Daily’s English service reported at the time that Chief Executive Ryu Geung-seon had emphasized physical AI as part of the company’s future-mobility strategy. Kakao Mobility’s own statement framed the hiring as part of a push to build technology in-house. Sept. 28, 2026 is the next concrete date in the process. Kakao Mobility’s recruitment page says applications for the autonomous-driving research engineer internship remain open until then at its Pangyo-based office. (kakaomobility.com) (kakaomobility.career.greetinghr.com) (en.sedaily.com)