[CEONEWS = Choi Jae-hyuk Reporter] After securing her reappointment last March and officially launching “Choi Soo-yeon Season 2,” Naver’s CEO has decisively dispelled early skepticism surrounding her image as a “young female leader.” By 2026, Choi has transformed Naver into a full-fledged AI-first company, cementing her position not merely as a platform operator, but as the undisputed head of Korea’s leading AI champion standing up to global Big Tech.
If Kakao CEO Chung Shin-a proved her leadership as a crisis manager through organizational restructuring and internal stabilization, Choi Soo-yeon has demonstrated hers through hard results and technological execution, advancing the grand agenda of technological sovereignty (Sovereign AI) and global expansion.
■ Leadership Proven by Numbers: Crossing the ₩10 Trillion Revenue Threshold
Choi Soo-yeon’s most powerful weapon is, undeniably, numbers.
When she assumed office in 2022, Naver’s consolidated revenue stood at ₩6.8 trillion. Under her leadership, the figure rose sharply, surpassing ₩10 trillion in 2024 for the first time in the company’s history. This marked not only a corporate milestone, but also the first such achievement in Korea’s internet industry, accomplished amid economic slowdown and brutal price wars in e-commerce.
Choi held firm to Naver’s two core pillars—search advertising and commerce—while executing a ruthless strategy of focus and selection. When markets expressed skepticism over the acquisition of North America’s largest C2C platform, Poshmark, she countered decisively:
“The future of commerce lies in the convergence of peer-to-peer transactions and AI.”
The bet paid off. Poshmark turned profitable in the first quarter of 2024, becoming a strategic outpost for expanding Naver’s global commerce footprint.
■ Architect of “Sovereign AI”: A Distinct Path from Big Tech
Choi’s leadership shone brightest amid the global frenzy surrounding generative AI.
Rather than engaging in a head-on confrontation with Microsoft or Google, she charted an independent course centered on HyperCLOVA X, a generative AI model optimized for the Korean language and cultural context. This approach crystallized into Naver’s Sovereign AI strategy.
Choi has consistently emphasized that
“Only a handful of countries in the world possess AI models rooted in their own language.”
Positioning AI as an instrument of data sovereignty and cultural preservation, this vision gained tangible traction in the Middle East. In 2023, Naver secured a $100 million digital twin platform contract from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing. This was followed by an MOU with the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) to co-develop Arabic-based Sovereign AI models.
At the DAN25 conference last November, Naver unveiled “Agent N,” an AI system that autonomously handles search, purchasing, and reservations—widely seen as the definitive realization of “On-Service AI.” Naver is now emerging as a third alternative challenging Big Tech dominance.
■ ₩1 Trillion Investment in GPU Infrastructure by 2026
Choi has laid out a bold roadmap: over ₩1 trillion to be invested in GPU and AI infrastructure by 2026.
This signals Naver’s evolution from a software-centric platform into a full-scale AI infrastructure enterprise, encompassing hardware ecosystems as well. The strengthened partnership with founder Lee Hae-jin, who returned to Naver’s board last March after seven years, further reinforces this trajectory.
Under the renewed two-top system, Lee designs global governance and long-term vision, while Choi executes with precision and speed—reshaping Naver into a far more agile organization.
■ The Remaining Challenge: Stock Valuation and Global Monetization
Despite strong fundamentals and technological leadership, Choi still faces a painful challenge: stock performance.
Even as Naver posts record earnings, its market valuation has yet to recover to pre-tenure levels. Investors are demanding clearer capital-market strategies and stronger evidence that global initiatives will translate into material revenue growth.
Key tests for Choi’s second term include discovering the next growth engine in content following Naver Webtoon’s Nasdaq listing in June 2024, and accelerating AI monetization—turning advanced technology into sustainable profits.
■ “MZ-Style Communication” Meets Legal Precision
Choi Soo-yeon’s leadership can be summarized as soft charisma with sharp edges.
Born in 1981, she fostered a flexible corporate culture through the adoption of Connected Work, encouraging open communication with employees. At the same time, her background as a lawyer is evident in her methodical decision-making and sophisticated negotiation skills, particularly in global M&A.
If Kakao’s Chung Shin-a exemplifies an internal consolidation (“inward governance”) style, Choi represents an external expansion (“outward governance”) leader—one who penetrates the essence of technology and extends Naver’s global reach.
■ Conclusion
Choi Soo-yeon has successfully transformed Naver from “Korea’s portal” into a global AI technology company.
If the promised GPU investments bear fruit by 2026 and Agent N becomes embedded in everyday life, Naver may well reclaim—decisively and convincingly—its status as Korea’s most valuable platform company.
Copyright ⓒ CEONEWS 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지
본 콘텐츠는 뉴스픽 파트너스에서 공유된 콘텐츠입니다.
