Naver sets annual revenue record in 2025, largely due to in-house AI
Published: 06 Feb. 2026, 17:03
Updated: 06 Feb. 2026, 17:31
![Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon speaks during the company’s DAN 25 conference at the Coex Grand Ballroom in southern Seoul on Nov. 6, 2025. [NAVER]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/06/8c9d7222-fc01-4032-9a3e-71e9b11fd6b2.jpg)
Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon speaks during the company’s DAN 25 conference at the Coex Grand Ballroom in southern Seoul on Nov. 6, 2025. [NAVER]
Naver set a new annual revenue record in 2025, largely due to its in-house AI across core services.
Revenue for 2025 rose 12.1 percent from a year earlier to 12 trillion won ($8.18 billion), and operating profit climbed 11.6 percent on year to 2.2081 trillion won, the company said on Friday. Both revenue and operating profit marked all-time highs since the company’s founding.
The company cited AI as a key driver behind last year’s revenue growth, as it accounted for 55 percent of the increase in advertising revenue. Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon pointed to the effectiveness of “AI Briefing” in particular during an earnings call on Friday.
AI Briefing is a service that identifies a user’s intent and generates a clear, organized answer. It was applied to Naver Search in March 2025.
Naver also used its latest results to counter concerns that ChatGPT would erode its position in the search market, following reports of a recent decline in its market share.
![Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon speaks during a Naver Ventures networking event in Silicon Valley, California, on June 5, 2025. [NAVER]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/06/14d6b01e-82a4-487e-a4f4-2b84b3854c5a.jpg)
Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon speaks during a Naver Ventures networking event in Silicon Valley, California, on June 5, 2025. [NAVER]
ChatGPT’s usage rate rose to 54.5 percent in December 2025 from 39.6 percent in March 2025, according to a report published by market research firm OpenSurvey on Jan. 28. Over the same period, Naver’s usage rate slipped to 81.6 percent from 85.3 percent.
Despite the dip in search volume, revenue increased as the quality of its service improved, the company said.
“As more users said they were satisfied with AI-generated summaries, the amount of time spent on the service has remained steady, and the number of clicks on AI-suggested follow-up questions increased sixfold compared to the early postlaunch period,” Choi said. “We plan to more than double the scope of the service this year.”
![Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon speaks at the firm's general shareholders' meeting on March 26, 2025. [NAVER]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/06/4a1564ca-19bb-428d-9bb0-0b77086179a8.jpg)
Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon speaks at the firm's general shareholders' meeting on March 26, 2025. [NAVER]
Naver also plans to develop AI agents this year, including an “AI Tab” service that will be rolled out in the first half of this year. The AI Tab will link Naver’s shopping, maps and other services with an AI chatbot to handle tasks such as reservations, purchases and payments on a user’s behalf.
The company will launch specialized AI agents in stages, starting with its shopping business.
“An internal closed beta test for a shopping agent will begin next week, followed by an official launch in late February,” Choi said. Agents will then be introduced to Naver’s maps, finance and travel systems.
![Naver headquarters in Bundang District, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 27, 2025 [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/06/49a2fe48-41a0-4d3c-b7cd-e1d022f959b6.jpg)
Naver headquarters in Bundang District, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 27, 2025 [NEWS1]
Although Naver failed to make the cut in the government-led selection process for a national flagship AI project, it is moving to target the sovereign AI market by upgrading its own services and marketing them to public-sector clients. After developing a medical-focused AI model for Seoul National University Hospital in November 2025, the company supplied a finance-focused AI model to the Bank of Korea last month.
“We plan to expand sovereign AI-related business further in Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Japan this year,” Choi said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY OH HYEON-WOO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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