Naver is a popular South Korean online platform that offers a wide range of services including search engine, news, webtoons, online shopping, and more. It is one of the largest web portals in South Korea and is widely used by the Korean population.
Naver Corporation was first established in June 1999 under the name of Naver Comm.
In July 2000, Naver merged with Hangame Communications Inc. and several other companies including Oneque and Search Solutions.
In August 2000, Naver launched its 'comprehensive search' service, which allows users to get a variety of results from a search query on a single page, organized by type.
In 2001, NAVER Comm was renamed NHN Corporation (Next Human Network), although both divisions—Naver and Hangame—continued to operate under their original brand names.
Knowledge iN, formerly Knowledge Search, was launched as an online Q&A platform in October 2002. It allowed users to ask questions and receive answers from other users, pioneering user-generated content in the Korean language.
Naver Blog, initially named 'paper', was launched in June 2003 and later evolved to 'blog' in October 2003.
In 2004, Naver launched Naver Webtoon, a revolutionary webcomic platform that has captivated audiences worldwide.
Naver launched its personal Blog service in 2005.
In 2007, Naver expanded its search engine business by launching Naver Japan, aiming to capture the Japanese market.
Deview, a conference initiated by Naver in 2008, serves as a platform for developers worldwide to exchange technical knowledge and experiences. The event covers various topics such as web, mobile, AI, big data, deep learning, and robotics.
Naver Cultural Foundation was officially established in 2009. In 2010, it launched a program to support indie musicians and introduced an online platform named 'Onstage' to showcase emerging indie bands.
The construction of Naver's headquarters, known as the Green Factory, was finished in March 2010. The building features innovative sustainable design elements such as adjustable vertical louvers and a LEED Platinum certification.
In April 2011, Daum and Nate, two Korean search rivals of Naver, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to open their search for services such as cafes and blogs.
In June 2011, NHN Japan introduced Line, a messaging application that quickly gained popularity among users for its innovative features.
BAND, CAMP Mobile's first app, was released in August 2012. It is a closed social network allowing the formation of groups based on interests. The app has a significant global user base and supports multiple languages.
On August 1, 2013, Naver decided to split with Hangame, a corporation which it had grown together with as NHN Corporation for 13 years.
On October 1, 2013, Naver Corporation adopted its current name, Naver Corporation, in order to reflect the change, thus restoring its pre-merger name.
In May 2014, BAND Game was launched as a competitive platform for users and game companies. It aimed to enhance user engagement within the BAND social network.
Me2day, a microblogging platform allowing short messages, ceased operations in June 2014 due to tough competition from global rivals like Twitter and Facebook.
In July 2014, Naver expanded its webtoon service globally as Line Webtoon, attracting 65 million users monthly, including 18 million international users. It offers content in seven languages and has inspired various media adaptations.
In June 2015, Naver introduced Naver Pay, its own payment service enabling mobile payments and online checkouts.
As of April 2016, Naver Blog had accumulated 23 million users.
As of May 2016, Knowledge iN had 100 million questions, 200 million answers, and 47 million users.
Naver Dictionary expanded its support to 34 categories including English, Korean, Chinese, and more as of May 30, 2017. It has the most language options among Korean dictionaries.
Studio N, established in 2018 by Naver Webtoon, focuses on creating original drama series based on Korean webtoon IPs. Some of its productions include Hell Is Other People, Pegasus Market, and Sweet Home.
Junior Naver's 'Gameland' service was officially terminated in February 2019.
In May 2019, Naver started supporting oversea payments in Japan via Line Pay, enabling users to make payments in Japanese stores without currency exchange.
As of January 19, 2020, Naver acquired Wattpad, an online book service, expanding its portfolio in the digital content industry.
On 25 February 2021, Naver abolished Real-time Search Terms (Korean: 급상승 검색어) due to criticism of abusing it to manipulate public opinion.
Naver held an event from May 1, 2021, offering payment to users posting daily on Naver Blog. The event was cut short due to multiple ID incidents.
On May 13, 2021, Naver announced an update to show profile pictures for comments on Naver news articles, aiming to improve user recognition and combat malicious comments.
Naver announced the resumption of the 'Today's Diary Challenge' event on May 24, 2021, limited to participants who completed the previous three-day record.
Naver Pay, a payment service by Naver Financial, was launched on June 25, 2021, initially for Naver Shopping and later expanded to over 97,000 stores.
The Naver Pay service, which expanded to various payment options, concluded on August 31, 2023.