Unicorn to IPO, Cheaper AI, Blocked Listing: Korea Startups This Week | September 24 2026

An AI unicorn just picked its IPO underwriters, two frontier labs slashed model prices in half, and Kakao's board just killed its own subsidiary's US listing plan.
Wrtn Technologies selected Mirae Asset and NH Investment to lead its IPO after a Series C round valued it above 1 trillion won ($720 million), making it Korea's only AI-service unicorn. Anthropic and OpenAI both launched cheaper flagship-level models this week, resetting cost assumptions across the AI startup ecosystem, while Gabia disclosed a data breach affecting nearly 3,000 customers. Kakao's board separately blocked Kakao Mobility's planned US listing over minority-shareholder concerns.

Sources:
- AI Unicorn Wrtn Picks Mirae Asset to Lead IPO — Seoul Economic Daily, September 23, 2026
- Anthropic and OpenAI Both Launch Half-Price Flagship Models — Seoul Economic Daily, September 23, 2026
- Kakao Blocks Kakao Mobility's US Listing Plan, Citing Shareholder Concerns — Seoul Economic Daily, September 23, 2026

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Tags:
#WrtnIPO #KoreanStartups #AIUnicorn #KOSPI #AIPRISM #SeoulEconomicDaily #WANIFRA