Naver and Kakao are performing well, with their AI strategies for the second half of the year attracting attention (Korea)

IT giants Naver and Kakao, which achieved their best-ever results in the April-June period, have cited innovation in their AI (artificial intelligence) platforms as their growth strategy for the second half of the year.
Naver will focus on enhancing its AI search service as a core part of its strategy for the second half of the year. It plans to launch a new "AI tab" for conversational searches in 2026.
In the e-commerce sector, the company will unveil an "AI agent" by the end of the year, which will enable it to recommend products tailored to individual tastes. CJ Korea is strengthening its competitiveness in the logistics sector.
The company is working with transportation companies to introduce a cold chain system, and overseas it is expanding its stake in the Spanish second-hand goods exchange platform "Wall-a-Pop."
Meanwhile, Kakao will be completely overhauling its messaging app, Kakao Talk, in the second half of the year. It will set up a creator studio to stream original content and increase user usage time.
The company plans to expand advertising exposure. It also partners with the US company OpenAI to launch the BtoC service "Kanana" in September. It is an AI agent platform that links KakaoTalk services.
By providing systems and on-device AI services, the company aims to strengthen privacy protection functions while expanding its AI business through collaboration with external partners.