[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] Naver has entered the '10 trillion club' 25 years after its founding. It is the first among domestic platform companies and internet companies. Analysis suggests that its performance was boosted by the continued growth of its core businesses such as search and commerce.

With the return of founder Lee Hae-jin and the announcement that Naver will launch new services in the fields of search and commerce that incorporate AI this year, attention is focused on whether this growth trend will continue and whether it will boost Korea's IT pride in the US Big Tech revolution.

Naver announced on the 7th that its annual sales last year exceeded 10 trillion won on a consolidated basis. Annual sales increased by 11% year-on-year to 10.7377 trillion won. Operating profit during this period increased by 32.9% to 1.9793 trillion won. Annual adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) increased by 24.9% year-on-year to 2.6644 trillion won.

Last year's fourth quarter sales were 2.8856 trillion won, and operating profit was 542 billion won. This is an increase of 13.7% and 33.7%, respectively, compared to the same period the previous year.

Looking at last year’s sales by sector, ▲Search Platform 3.9462 trillion won ▲Commerce 2.9230 trillion won ▲Fintech 1.5084 trillion won ▲Content 1.7964 trillion won ▲Cloud 563.7 billion won. While all major business sectors continued to show sales growth, Search Platform, Commerce, and Fintech recorded double-digit sales growth rates.

Naver aims to continue its growth across all business sectors this year, focusing on advertising and commerce. First, in the search platform business, it will strengthen its platform competitiveness by increasing advertising efficiency and expanding external media. In the commerce sector, which is also growing, it is preparing to launch a new service. First, it will launch the personalized shopping service 'Naver Plus Store' as a separate app in the first half of this year.

Naver's new services to be launched will focus on AI. Naver Plus Store will analyze the reasons for product recommendations for each user and provide personalized benefits and trend information. 'AD Boost', an advertising-specialized AI platform for online shopping mall operators, will also be launched. It will provide customized advertising services to users using AI. In the first half of this year, 'AI Briefing', which acts as a personal assistant for each user, will be newly added to the search service.

It is also expected that the advancement of its own AI Large Language Model (LLM), 'HyperClova X', will continue. Naver has been accelerating the development of its own LLM, emphasizing the importance of 'Sovereign AI' that reflects the characteristics of the Korean web environment.

Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon said, "This year is an important time to fully implement the on-service AI strategy across Naver services. We will enhance the platform based on AI technology, create new value and business opportunities, and ultimately strengthen Naver's differentiated competitiveness." She added, "In commerce, we will expand the search-centered shopping experience to a personalized search-centered one through the new Naver Plus Store app that will be launched in the first half of the year, providing a more intuitive and powerful shopping experience."

Meanwhile, Naver announced its performance on this day and officially announced the return of Naver founder and Global Investment Officer (GIO) Lee Hae-jin through a resolution to convene a shareholders’ meeting. If the agenda for appointing GIO Lee Hae-jin as an inside director is passed at the shareholders’ meeting scheduled for the 26th of next month, he will return as chairman of the board. GIO’s return as chairman will be the first in seven years since he resigned from the position in 2017.