Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 5, 2026) - KO Gold Inc. (CSE: KOG) ("KO Gold" or the "Company") announces today that it has granted stock options ("Options") to purchase up to 2,335,000 common shares of the Company (the "Shares") to certain directors, officers, and consultants of the Company, pursuant to the Company's stock option plan. The Options are exercisable for a period of three (3) years from the date of grant at a price of $0.35 per Share. The Options will vest immediately. All of the Options and the Shares underlying the Options are subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of grant in accordance with the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange and applicable securities laws.

About KO Gold Inc.

KO Gold is a Canadian junior exploration company listed on the CSE under "KOG". The Company's strategy is to acquire and explore highly prospective gold properties within the Otago Gold District in New Zealand. KO Gold presently, has four 100%-owned prospecting and exploration permits within the Otago Gold District for a combined land package of 400 km² (including the Carrick Range exploration permit application). The Company's Smylers, Hyde and Glenpark EPs are located adjacent to OceanaGold's Macraes Gold Mine and the Carrick EP hosts the historic Carrick Goldfield which holds promise as a significant gold deposit near Santana Minerals' Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project. The Company also has an NSR on three additional permits, Garibaldi, Raggedy Range, and Rough Ridge South totaling 243km2. KO Gold has spent over C$3M in exploration and drilling on its permits in the Otago Gold District over the past five years including RC and diamond drilling on its Smylers EP.

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The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "propose," "estimate," "may," "will," "would," "potential," or variations of such words and phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may,". All statements, other than statements of historical fact that address activities, events, or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements reflect management's current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this release include the vesting schedule, expiry date and applicable hold periods for the Options issued in the grant. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and, accordingly, undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to their inherent uncertainty. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include potential changes or amendments to the vesting schedule, expiry date and/or applicable hold periods for the Options and/or underlying securities. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

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