Note: Han Seong-Sook served as CEO of Naver Corporation from March 2017 to March 2022. She was succeeded by Choi Soo-yeon, who has been CEO since March 2022. Han was appointed Minister of SMEs and Startups in the South Korean government in July 2025.
Naver Corporation, South Korea’s largest internet company and the operator of the country’s dominant search engine, appointed Han Seong-Sook as its first female Chief Executive Officer in March 2017. During her five-year tenure, Naver CEO Han Seong-Sook transformed the company from a domestic search portal into a global technology powerhouse, overseeing massive investments in artificial intelligence, e-commerce, fintech, and content platforms including LINE, Webtoon, and Naver Pay. Under her leadership, Naver’s annual revenue surged past 6 trillion KRW and the company cemented its position as the gateway to the South Korean internet. Han stepped down in March 2022 and was later appointed South Korea’s Minister of SMEs and Startups in July 2025, becoming the first business executive to hold the position.
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Han Seong-Sook – Quick Facts
Naver Competitors
Naver Corporation operates in the highly competitive South Korean internet and technology industry. The company faces competition across its search, e-commerce, content, and fintech segments. The key competitors of Naver include:
- Kakao Corporation – South Korea’s other tech giant; competes across messaging (KakaoTalk), search, e-commerce, and fintech
- Google Korea – growing share in South Korean search market (43% vs. Naver’s 49%)
- Coupang – South Korea’s largest e-commerce platform by market share (~29%)
- Daum (Kakao subsidiary) – legacy search engine and portal competitor
- AliExpress / Temu – Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms gaining traction in Korea
- Baidu – Asia-Pacific search and AI competitor
- Yahoo Japan / LY Corporation – Japanese internet rival (ironically partly owned by Naver via SoftBank JV)
Han Seong-Sook Net Worth 2026 – Naver CEO Salary
As of 2026, Han Seong-Sook’s net worth is estimated at approximately $32 million USD (44.1 billion KRW), based on her ministerial asset disclosure filed with the South Korean National Assembly in 2025. This includes personal assets of 18.2 billion KRW, Naver stock options valued at approximately 25.4 billion KRW, and restricted stock units worth 430 million KRW. Her substantial wealth comes primarily from her long tenure at Naver and the company’s stock appreciation during her time as CEO.
Naver CEO Compensation Breakdown (2020)
Naver Net Worth 2026 – Is Naver Profitable?
Yes, Naver Corporation is a highly profitable company and one of the most valuable tech firms in South Korea. Under its current leadership, Naver has posted record-breaking revenue figures, surpassing the 10 trillion KRW milestone in 2024 — a first for any Korean internet company — and continuing to grow through AI, e-commerce, and fintech monetization.
Naver Financial Summary (FY2025)
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Naver CEO Email Address | Han Seong-Sook Contact
Below are the contact details for Naver Corporation. Since Han Seong-Sook is no longer CEO and now serves as a government minister, her corporate email at Naver is no longer active. For Naver corporate inquiries, contact the current leadership:
Career & Education – Company, University, & College
Han Seong-Sook is a pioneering figure in South Korea’s technology industry, with a career spanning three decades from tech journalism to leading the country’s largest internet company and ultimately joining the national government. Below is her complete career timeline:
Han Seong-Sook Career Timeline
Han Seong-Sook began her career as a technology journalist for Mincom, a computer magazine, before moving into public relations at Nanum Technology. In 1997, she co-founded Empas, one of South Korea’s most popular early search engines, where she led the search business. After Empas was acquired by SK Communications in 2007, Han joined NHN Corporation (Naver’s predecessor), where she oversaw search engine services and mobile business development.
Rising through the ranks at Naver, Han served as Managing Director and Vice President — though she notably chose not to use these formal titles, preferring a transparent and open work culture. In March 2017, she was appointed Naver’s first female CEO, succeeding Kim Sang-hun. During her five-year tenure, she drove major strategic initiatives including the launch of Naver Pay (mobile payment), investments in AI and autonomous vehicle technologies, and the expansion of content platforms like V Live and Webtoon.
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Han stepped down as CEO in March 2022, taking responsibility in the aftermath of an employee workplace incident. She was reassigned to oversee Naver’s European operations as an advisor. In July 2025, she was appointed Minister of SMEs and Startups under President Lee Jae-myung, becoming the first private-sector business executive to lead the ministry.
Education
Han Seong-Sook Wiki – Age, Family, & More
Former Naver CEO Han Seong-Sook (age 58, born June 20, 1967) was born in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. She is known for being an intensely private individual. Han has kept details about her personal and family life out of the public eye. She is widely described as a dedicated professional and workaholic who was one of the first generation of female tech entrepreneurs in South Korea.
Notable Achievements & Recognitions
- Fortune Most Powerful Women International (2019) – Named to Fortune’s prestigious global list of powerful businesswomen
- First Female CEO of Naver – Broke the glass ceiling as the first woman to lead South Korea’s largest internet company
- Empas Co-Founder – Helped build one of Korea’s first major search engines in the late 1990s
- First Business Executive as Minister of SMEs – Became the first private-sector leader to serve as South Korea’s Minister of SMEs and Startups (2025)
- Naver Revenue Growth – Oversaw Naver’s revenue growth from ~4 trillion KRW to over 6 trillion KRW during her five-year CEO tenure
- Digital Transformation Advocate – Championed AI, fintech, and global content platform expansion at Naver
As Minister of SMEs and Startups, Han has focused on a “startup-style government” approach, leveraging her decades of tech industry experience to drive digital transformation and innovation policy for small and medium enterprises in South Korea.
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About Naver Corporation
Naver Corporation is South Korea’s largest internet company, headquartered at the NAVER Green Factory in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do. Founded in 1999, Naver operates the dominant search engine in South Korea and has expanded into a diversified technology conglomerate with major businesses spanning search, e-commerce, fintech, content, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.
Naver trades on the Korea Exchange (KRX) under the ticker symbol 035420. The company reported 2025 annual revenue of 12.35 trillion KRW ($9.15 billion), with a market capitalization of approximately 38 trillion KRW (~$28 billion). Naver has declared 2026 as the first year of full-scale AI monetization.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who is the current CEO of Naver Corporation?
The current CEO of Naver Corporation is Choi Soo-yeon, who was appointed in March 2022. She succeeded Han Seong-Sook, who served as CEO from 2017 to 2022. Under Choi’s leadership, Naver has achieved record revenues and is investing heavily in AI and global expansion.
What is Han Seong-Sook’s net worth in 2026?
As of 2026, Han Seong-Sook’s net worth is estimated at approximately $32 million USD (44.1 billion KRW), based on her 2025 ministerial asset disclosure. This includes personal assets, Naver stock options valued at ~25.4 billion KRW, and restricted stock units. She was described as potentially Korea’s richest-ever government minister at the time of her appointment.
What was Naver CEO Han Seong-Sook’s salary?
Han Seong-Sook’s total compensation as Naver CEO in 2020 was approximately 2.98 billion KRW (~$2.5 million USD), comprising a 1.2 billion KRW base salary, 1.64 billion KRW in performance bonuses, and 140 million KRW in other compensation. Over 55% of her pay was performance-based.
Why did Han Seong-Sook leave Naver?
Han Seong-Sook stepped down as Naver CEO in March 2022, taking responsibility following a workplace incident involving an employee’s death. She was reassigned to oversee Naver’s European operations as an advisor before being appointed South Korea’s Minister of SMEs and Startups in July 2025.
What is Naver’s email or contact information?
Naver Corporation’s investor relations email is [email protected]. The company’s headquarters is at NAVER Green Factory, 6 Buljeong-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Phone: +82-1588-3830. Visit navercorp.com for more information.
Is Naver Corporation a profitable company?
Yes, Naver is highly profitable. In 2025, the company reported revenue of 12.35 trillion KRW ($9.15B) and operating profit of 2.21 trillion KRW ($1.64B), both up over 11% year-over-year. In 2024, Naver became the first Korean internet company to surpass 10 trillion KRW in annual revenue, with net profit surging 89% to 1.862 trillion KRW.
Article last updated:January 2026March 2, 2026
Disclaimer: All information presented in this article has been compiled from publicly available sources, including Korean corporate filings, official company press releases, National Assembly disclosures, and reputable news outlets. This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.