[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Han Seong-sook, CEO of Naver, met President Moon Jae-in again after four months since July. This is the third meeting this year at official events. As the Blue House draws the blueprint for the 'Korean New Deal,' Naver has become an 'insider' by increasing engagement with IT companies working on artificial intelligence (AI) and data projects.
On the afternoon of the 25th, Naver attended the event 'Meeting Korea's Artificial Intelligence' held at KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, where it disclosed AI achievements and future plans. Seok Sang-ok, CEO of Naver Labs, gave a presentation, and CEO Han also attended. The event was organized to share the first anniversary achievements and future vision of the 'Basic AI Concept and National Strategy' established by President Moon. Besides Naver, Samsung Electronics, SK Telecom, KT, and Kakao also participated.
At this event, Naver emphasized the 'Global AI Research Belt' with researchers worldwide. Naver has signed agreements with two top engineering universities in Vietnam to nurture talent. Cooperation with Yahoo Japan, which is about to undergo management integration, also supports this trend. Naver plans to unveil the Naver Cloud Data Box within the year to revitalize the data ecosystem, a core part of the Digital New Deal. It also announced plans to present support models for research institutes, universities, startups, and public institutions.
Han Seong-sook, CEO of Naver, explaining Naver's data business to President Moon Jae-in at the Korean New Deal National Report Conference. Photo by Cheong Wa Dae
Earlier in July, CEO Han attended the 'Korean New Deal National Report Conference' held at the Blue House online. She presented Naver's digital New Deal-related business plans from the data center 'Gak,' established by Naver in Chuncheon in 2013. The Moon Jae-in administration emphasizes strengthening the 'DNA (Data, Network, AI) ecosystem' among its digital New Deal policies. Naver's intention to strengthen its data business aligns with the government's direction.
Naver, as a portal operator, intends to support the government's 'Digital New Deal' by analyzing and processing data accumulated over more than 20 years. CEO Han explained, "Naver will disclose various data analyzed and processed with AI technology through the cloud," adding, "It would be great if this data is freely utilized in AI research and various industries."
CEO Han also met President Moon at the Donghaeng Sale event held in the same month. President Moon, along with First Lady Kim Jung-sook, attended the special event 'Korea Donghaeng Sale, Let's Value' on July 2nd. CEO Han also participated as a representative of the company at the meeting.
Last October, President Moon personally visited Naver's annual developer event 'DEVIEW 2019.' At that event, President Moon declared the national AI vision, stating, "We will become an AI government."
Meanwhile, Naver appealed for comprehensive government support to leap forward as an AI powerhouse. Naver emphasized to President Moon that the second headquarters, where more than 100 robot services will be applied, requires a 'ultra-low latency communication network.' It explained that the government's consideration of 'Korean-style Local 5G Open Access' will be a catalyst for the development of Korea's robot industry.
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