Naver

Naver (Hangul: 네이버) is a South Korean web portal and search engine operated by Naver Corporation. Launched in 1999, Naver was the first web portal in South Korea to develop its own search engine and has transformed into one of the most influential technology companies in Asia, known not only for its dominant search engine but also for its extensive digital services ecosystem, including the instant messaging app Line and the web comic platform Webtoon. The name "Naver" itself comes from the word "navigate" with the suffix "-er", interpreted as "a navigator in the Web world".

History and Development

Founding and Early Years

Naver was founded in June 1999 by a group of former Samsung Data Systems employees led by Lee Hae-jin. Initially, the company was named Naver Comm with the goal of creating a Korean-language search engine capable of competing with foreign portals such as Yahoo, which at the time dominated the market. Naver's main advantage from the beginning was the development of a search engine optimized for the distinctive features of the Korean language, which has a syllable structure and grammar very different from Indo-European languages, making it more relevant for local users than foreign competitors.

In 2000, Naver launched the "Comprehensive Search" feature, which allowed search results from various categories such as blogs, websites, images, and news to be displayed on a single page, an innovation made five years before Google launched a similar feature.

Merger and Early Expansion

In July 2000, Naver merged with Hangame Communications Inc., a leading online game portal in South Korea founded by Kim Bum-su. This merger produced a new entity named NHN Corporation (Next Human Network) in 2001, which combined the strengths of a search engine and a game portal to create the largest internet company in South Korea.

In the same year, Naver also acquired Search Solutions, a company developed by Soongsil University professor Lee Jung-ho, which had advanced natural language search technology. This acquisition further strengthened Naver's search technology capabilities. In 2002, Naver launched the "Knowledge Search" (Knowledge iN) service, a user-based question-and-answer platform that allowed users to ask questions and receive answers from other users. This service became very popular and helped Naver build a very large Korean-language content base, becoming a forerunner of modern Q&A platforms such as Quora. Naver was officially listed on the KOSDAQ stock exchange in 2002 and later moved to KOSPI in November 2008.

Main Services and Features

Search Engine and Portal

Naver is the leading search engine in South Korea, controlling around 60% of the search market share and becoming the most frequently visited desktop site with a 78% share of all website visits in the country. More than 25 million people in Korea set Naver as their browser homepage. The search engine processes more than 2.3 billion search queries every day.

Digital Services Ecosystem

Naver has developed a very extensive digital services ecosystem covering various aspects of South Korean users' digital lives. In 2004, Naver launched book and local information services, followed by a blog service in 2005 and Webtoon (web comics) in 2006, which revolutionized the digital comics industry with a freemium business model that allowed readers to enjoy comics for free but pay for exclusive content. Other services include news, email, academic thesis search, a children's portal (Junior Naver), and the online donation platform Happybean, launched in 2005 as the first of its kind in the world. Happybean allows users to find information and donate to more than 20,000 civil society and social welfare organizations. On April 1, 2013, Naver launched News Stand, which gave each news organization the freedom to edit its own articles appearing on Naver.

Mobile App

The NAVER mobile app provides various features optimized for mobile devices with four main tabs: 'Home' for everyday information such as weather and stock prices, 'Clip' for short videos, 'Content' for news and reading, and 'Shopping' for a personalized shopping experience. The app is also equipped with the Green Dot AI search feature, which includes image-based search (Lens), music search, voice search, and location-based search. In November 2024, Naver introduced a new "Topic Feed" and "My" to improve content personalization and the management of user activity.

Latest Technological Innovations

Naver continues to innovate in artificial intelligence technology. The company developed HyperCLOVA X, a Korean-made large language model (LLM), and collaborates with various global technology partners. In 2024, Naver announced a partnership with Intel to build an AI ecosystem based on the "Gaudi" chip. The company also uses AI technology for various services such as AI Briefing for search, ADVoost for automatic ad optimization, and AI Shopping Guide, which provides a highly personalized shopping experience. Naver continues to invest in research and development, with overseas research centers including Naver Labs, and uses Nvidia GPU resources for AI development.

Global Expansion

Line and International Presence

One of Naver's greatest international successes is the launch of Line, an instant messaging app developed by Naver Japan in June 2011. Line was originally developed as an emergency communication tool after the major earthquake and tsunami in Japan, but quickly became one of the most popular messaging apps in Asia, including in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia. Line's distinctive features are its use of diverse colorful stickers and an integrated service ecosystem covering payments, games, and delivery services. In 2019, Naver consolidated the Line business with Yahoo Japan through a joint venture with SoftBank, creating a larger digital giant in Asia.

Naver has expanded its global presence by establishing offices in various countries including Japan, the United States, France, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia. In Indonesia, Naver Corporation is recorded as an investor in PT Elang Mahkota Teknologi Tbk (Emtek) through an investment worth Rp 9.29 trillion in 2021.

Acquisitions and Growth

In 2022, Naver acquired Poshmark, the largest secondhand goods marketplace in North America, with an acquisition value of 2.3441 trillion won. This acquisition marked Naver's strategic step in expanding the reach of its global e-commerce business.

Financial Performance

Naver Corporation has shown solid financial performance with sustainable growth. In 2017, the company's revenue reached 4.06 trillion won. In 2023, the company's operating profit reached 3,727 billion won in the second quarter with 10.9% growth, while sales reached 2.4 trillion won with 17.7% growth. In 2024, Naver recorded revenue of more than 10 trillion won, with operating profit increasing 32.9% to 1.9793 trillion won. In the second quarter of 2025, the company recorded a net profit of 4,974 billion won with revenue of 2.915 trillion won.

Naver's financial success reflects its dominance in the South Korean market and its ability to innovate and adapt to technological change, with a focus on integrating artificial intelligence to strengthen the platform and optimize advertising.

References

Wikipedia bahasa Indonesia. "Naver". id.wikipedia.org.

CNBC Indonesia. "Resmi Jadi Investor Baru Emtek, Siapa NAVER Corporation?". cnbcindonesia.com.

РБК Тренды. "Корейский Google: как Naver стал технологической империей". trends.rbc.ru.

今周刊. "在韓國Naver比Google還厲害！開發台日爆紅的LINE、專注整合AI技術，謝金河：南韓傳奇企業". businesstoday.com.tw.

財訊. "Google在韓國為何卡卡？謝金河直擊Naver總部親揭關鍵". wealth.com.tw.

NAVER HELP. "주제피드와 새로워진 마이를 만나 보세요!". help.naver.com.

NAVER Corporation. "Featured Services". navercorp.com.

百度百科. "NAVER". wapbaike.baidu.com.

NAVER Corporation. "Press Releases". navercorp.com.

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Google

Google LLC is a multinational technology company from the United States known as a provider of internet services and products, especially the world's dominant search engine. It was founded on September 4, 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin when both were still doctoral students at Stanford University. The name "Google" itself was inspired by the mathematical term "googol" (the number 1 followed by 100 zeros), which reflects the company's mission to organize the world's information in enormous quantities and make it universally accessible.

The company officially became part of the conglomerate Alphabet Inc. in 2015 as a result of a corporate restructuring. Over time, Google has evolved from merely a search engine into a technology giant with a very broad product portfolio, covering software, hardware, and various artificial intelligence (AI)–based services used by billions of people around the world.

History and Early Development

Beginnings and Founding

In 1995, Larry Page and Sergey Brin met at Stanford University when Page was considering continuing his studies at the university and Brin was assigned to show him around campus. Although they often disagreed at first, they later developed a shared interest in information retrieval systems on the internet. Their research project began with a search engine named BackRub, named after its ability to analyze "backlinks" in order to determine the importance of a web page.

The two developed an innovative algorithm that later became the foundation of Google's technology, known as PageRank. This algorithm was able to rank search results based on the number and quality of links pointing to a page, an approach that proved far more relevant than other search methods of the time. In 1997, they officially renamed their search engine Google. The company Google LLC was then officially founded the following year after Andy Bechtolsheim, one of the co-founders of Sun Microsystems, became interested in their demonstration and wrote a check worth 100,000 U.S. dollars as initial capital.

Growth into a Technology Giant

Google Search quickly became the most widely used search engine in the world, surpassing competitors such as Yahoo! and AltaVista. This success was driven by more accurate search results and a clean, simple interface. By the mid-2000s, Google had become one of the most influential technology companies. In 2004, Google launched the free email service Gmail, which offered very large storage capacity and significantly changed the standard of email services.

Google's expansion became increasingly aggressive with a series of strategic acquisitions. In 2005, they acquired the mobile operating system developer company Android Inc., which would later become the foundation of the world's most popular operating system. Not long after, in 2006, Google acquired YouTube, a video-sharing platform that had become a global phenomenon and one of the most visited sites on the internet. These acquisitions strengthened Google's dominance not only in search, but also in digital advertising, video content, and the mobile device ecosystem.

Innovation and Main Products

Search Engine (Google Search)

Google's flagship product to this day is its search engine. With a global market share reaching more than 90%, Google Search is the main gateway for most internet users to access information. For more than 25 years, the Google search box has been the company's primary symbol.

At the annual Google I/O 2026 developer event, the company announced the largest update to their search box since it was first launched. This new search box is powered by artificial intelligence and designed to process longer, more natural, and more complex questions. Users can now search not only with text, but also with images, files, videos, and even currently open browser tabs. Search results are also no longer limited to a list of links, but can take the form of contextual answers summarized by AI, interactive graphs, or even dynamically created user interfaces according to the question asked.

The Android Operating System

Android is a Linux kernel–based mobile operating system acquired by Google in 2005. Since its launch, Android has become the backbone of the mobile device ecosystem outside Apple's environment. Its presence has allowed Google to bring its services, such as Search, Gmail, and Google Maps, to billions of smartphone users around the world. Android is also known as one of Google's most widely used products in Indonesia.

Other Popular Products

In addition to Search and Android, Google has various products with more than one billion users. YouTube, acquired in 2006, has become the world's largest video site. Gmail revolutionized email with large storage and advanced features. Google Maps is the most popular digital map application, providing navigation and location information in real time. The Google Chrome browser also dominates the market with its speed and extensive extensions. The photo and video storage service Google Photos has also been used by billions of people to back up and manage their digital memories.

Artificial Intelligence: The Gemini Model and the Future

Gemini: Flagship AI Model

In recent years, Google has shifted its main focus to the development of artificial intelligence, with their flagship model named Gemini. Google's long journey in AI began in the Google Brain era, which in 2011 started the Distbelief project and produced the famous "Cat Paper", which showed that a deep neural network could learn to recognize objects such as cats from YouTube videos without labels. Its peak innovation came in 2017 when the Google Brain team published a paper on the Transformer architecture, which became the foundation for the modern AI revolution and gave rise to models such as ChatGPT and Gemini itself.

At Google I/O 2026, Google launched Gemini 3.5 Flash, the latest model in the Gemini series that combines advanced intelligence with high speed. This model is generally available and designed to handle "agentic" tasks or tasks that require a series of complex actions, such as helping developers create applications or prepare financial documents. Google also introduced Gemini Omni, a revolutionary model that can create various types of content from various types of input (text, images, video, audio), with an initial focus on video creation.

AI Agents and Cross-Platform Integration

Google introduced various AI agents designed to help users in everyday life. Gemini Spark is a personal AI agent that can work in the background around the clock to help manage users' digital lives, including reading email, summarizing documents, and taking action on the user's behalf after receiving approval. The Daily Brief feature arrives as an agent that automatically gathers information from calendars, email, and tasks to provide a personal summary in the morning. These agents demonstrate Google's vision of making AI a new operational layer throughout all of their products, from Search and Gmail to YouTube.

Google's Presence in Indonesia

Establishment of a Branch Office and Tax Compliance

Google officially opened its first branch office in Indonesia on March 30, 2012, making Indonesia the fourth country in Southeast Asia to have a Google office after Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. This establishment was driven by large market potential, given that in the same year, nearly 80.91 percent of internet users in Indonesia used Google as their main search engine.

Although it already had an office, there was a tug-of-war between Google and Indonesia's Directorate General of Taxes (DJP) regarding tax obligations. This culminated in the issuance of Minister of Finance Regulation Number 35/PMK.03/2019 on the Determination of a Permanent Establishment (BUT), which pushed Google Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., operating in Singapore, to establish a BUT in Indonesia. Finally, in 2019, Google Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. was willing to carry out its tax obligations in Indonesia, including paying Value Added Tax (PPN) and Income Tax (PPh).

Contribution to the Indonesian-Language Wikipedia

Google also collaborated with the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia Indonesia in a pilot project that began in 2019. This project aimed to expand access to Indonesian-language information on the Google search engine. In this project, when a user searches for a topic in Indonesian and there is no quality Wikipedia article in that language, Google will display a machine-translated version of the English Wikipedia article. This result will be clearly labeled as a machine translation, and if there is a quality Indonesian-language article, Google's algorithm will prioritize that original article. This collaboration is part of a broader project such as Project Gayatri, which aims to support an increase in the quantity and quality of content on the Indonesian-language Wikipedia. This initiative highlights a joint effort to address the content gap, in which the English Wikipedia has tens of millions of articles compared with fewer than one million articles on the Indonesian-language Wikipedia.

References

Google I/O 2026: all our announcements. (2026). Google Blog.

Global Reach/Announcements/Bahasa Indonesia Search Pilot FAQ. (2019). Wikimedia Meta-Wiki.

Google AI 编年史：从搜索巨头到创新者困境的25年. (2025). 36氪.

Indonesia Gen Z: Data, Demographics, and Digital Behavior. (2026). Jakpat.

Seperempat Abad Google dan Aspek Perpajakannya sebagai BUT di Indonesia. (2023). Direktorat Jenderal Pajak.

Wikipedia bahasa Indonesia. (2025). Wikipedia.

Seperempat Abad Google dan Aspek Perpajakannya sebagai BUT di Indonesia. (2023). Direktorat Jenderal Pajak.

Google I/O 2026: Tất cả công bố đáng chú ý. (2026). VTV.

Catch up on 12 major I/O 2026 moments. (2026). Google Blog.

Proyek Gayatri Overview. (n.d.). Wikimedia Outreach Dashboard.

Google 滿 20 歲了：它如何改變網路，撼動世界？. (2018). INSIDE.

Tepat Hari Ini, 20 Tahun Silam Google Dibentuk hingga Akhirnya Jadi 'Raja Dunia'. (2018). Serambinews.

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