Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon Personally Oversees Support for Small and Medium Businesses... Hosts 'Project Kkot' Discussion

CEO Choi, External Experts, and Employees Gathered Together
Discussing Various Ideas on 'Project Kkot'
"We Will Make 'Project Kkot' a Work Culture to Boost Employee Pride"

Discussing the 'Project Kkot' (from left) CEO Choi Su-yeon, Professor Kim Do-hyun of Kookmin University, Professor Mo Jong-rin of Yonsei University

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon personally met with employees and experts to explore directions for supporting the local economy.

Naver announced that on the 31st, it released a video on its internal bulletin board showing CEO Choi Soo-yeon directly discussing the direction of ‘Project Kkot’ with employees and external experts.

‘Project Kkot’ is Naver’s core campaign supporting local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and traditional markets.

The theme was ‘Team Naver’s Social Impact, Project Kkot,’ and the event was attended by experts in related fields, including Professor Kim Do-hyun of Kookmin University, chairman of the Startup Alliance, and Professor Mo Jong-rin of Yonsei University, author of Golmokgil Capital Theory, who discussed the social evaluation and development direction of ‘Project Kkot.’

At the event, CEO Choi opened the discussion by saying, “When social opinion arises regarding the social influence and responsibility of platform companies, Naver’s ‘Project Kkot’ has been recognized for its sincerity and value,” adding, “We are considering ways for ‘Project Kkot’ to grow further in line with social expectations.”

She then promised to create more opportunities for employees to directly participate in ‘Project Kkot’ and spoke about the necessity of supporting local businesses and SMEs to grow as brands ahead of Naver’s full-scale global expansion.

Professor Kim Do-hyun said, “Naver employees have great pride and a strong sense of mission in their work,” and added, “Leading such talented individuals in a unified direction is what ‘Project Kkot’ is about.”

In response, CEO Choi emphasized, “The pride employees have in the company and their sense of self-worth in their work come from feeling that what they do positively impacts society, which is the very identity of ‘Project Kkot.’ In this sense, ‘Project Kkot’ has the greatest influence on Naver’s work culture.”

CEO Choi also mentioned the need for support measures that enable SMEs and creators to grow as brands in the development direction of ‘Project Kkot.’

She said, “SMEs and creators are the most important partners in the process of global expansion,” adding, “We will support them so that their capabilities and products can be established as brand assets.”

Regarding this, Professor Mo Jong-rin stated, “Combining Naver’s technological, design, and branding capabilities with local SMEs and local content will increase the chances of success,” and added, “Turning neighborhoods into brands is the greatest help to small business owners, and Naver’s attention is needed to create more neighborhoods that become brands.”

Meanwhile, employees from various services such as development, service planning, and management support gathered at the event. They shared diverse ideas and practical concerns about the growth direction of ‘Project Kkot,’ including new support programs for Smart Store operators, efforts in technology development for SMEs, and plans to advance AI technology within Project Kkot.

CEO Choi stated, “As employees wish, those interested in win-win programs or SME digital transformation will be actively provided with opportunities to engage beyond their current roles or to meet more SMEs directly.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.