Naver Suspends Real-Time Search During General Election Period... Ends Comments on Entertainment News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] Naver has decided to suspend its real-time search term service during the April 15 National Assembly general election period. It also plans to temporarily disable comments on entertainment articles.

Yoo Bong-seok, head of Naver's service division, announced on the 19th that the company decided to suspend the 'rising search terms' service during this election period.

Naver's rising search terms service faced criticism for losing its original purpose and credibility, as it became a battleground between opposing factions during the controversy over the appointment of Cho Kuk as Minister of Justice in August last year.

In response, Naver had taken measures such as enabling personalized search term settings through artificial intelligence (AI), but ultimately chose to temporarily suspend the service.

Naver also plans to temporarily disable the comment service on entertainment articles by March.

Yoo explained, "Despite various efforts to uphold the essential value of the internet as a platform for two-way communication, considering the unique nature of celebrities who receive intense public attention, we could not avoid deep concerns."

He added, "We acknowledge that current technological efforts alone are insufficient to alleviate the suffering of celebrities, and have decided to close comments on entertainment news until a structural reform of the entertainment information service is completed."