Naver: "Line Yahoo is the main party for security enhancement" ... Position conveyed to the government

Ministry of Science and ICT Issues Official Inquiry
"Establish Security Measures Centered on LineYahoo"

SoftBank, the major shareholder of Line Yahoo, is reportedly refraining from reconsidering the capital relationship of Line Yahoo in the short term, while Naver has conveyed to the government that strengthening the personal information protection of Line users should be addressed by Line Yahoo as the responsible entity. Line Yahoo has announced a plan to complete the network separation from Naver ahead of schedule by March 2026, which is interpreted as an intention to also lead the establishment of security measures before the complete network separation.

According to the IT industry and authorities on the 21st, Naver responded to a formal inquiry sent last month by the Ministry of Science and ICT regarding whether the government could support strengthening Line Yahoo’s security system and resolving security vulnerability concerns in the connected parts between Naver and Line Yahoo, stating that "security enhancement issues should be handled primarily by Line Yahoo in Japan."

Naver added that the issue of strengthening personal information security for Line Yahoo is structurally a matter to be decided locally in Japan and resolved within the local system.

Last year, malicious software infiltrated a third-party company responsible for maintaining the security of Naver Cloud, which Line Yahoo entrusted with data and network management, resulting in the leakage of Line messenger user information.

Since the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications demanded that the dependent relationship?such as the lack of independent log records due to Line Yahoo entrusting network management to Naver?be terminated, the IT industry interprets that the responsibility for improving information security should lie with Line Yahoo, and that there is no reason to request support from the Korean government.

Naver has maintained a stance of autonomous resolution, stating that the issue is a corporate matter between companies since the controversy over reconsidering the equity relationship with Line Yahoo was triggered.

Earlier this month, Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon appeared as a witness at the National Assembly’s Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee full session and stated, "The management of the corporation does its best and carefully considers for the benefit of the company and shareholders, and I hope there will be an opportunity for private sector autonomous judgment."

The Ministry of Science and ICT and other government bodies have maintained a position of respecting Naver’s autonomous decision-making while stating that government agencies such as the Korea Internet & Security Agency can provide technical support if necessary for improving security governance.