'Revival of Real-time Search' Political Attacks Lead Naver to End 'Trend Topic'

Naver has ultimately discontinued its 'Trend Topic' service, which had been embroiled in controversy over the revival of real-time search terms (real-time keywords).

Naver ended the 'Trend Topic' service, which began as a pilot in September last year, on the 27th. Originally, Naver had planned to launch the official service this month.

'Trend Topic' was a service where the generative AI 'HyperCLOVA' analyzed blogs, influencers, posts, and other content to extract keywords and present them to users.

In political circles, the service was criticized as a 'real-time search term revival,' leading to continuous pressure. Naver argued that since the service was not solely based on search data and was developed as a personalized service based on individual interests, it did not constitute a revival of the real-time search term service.

However, with the upcoming general election for the National Assembly next year, the ruling party raised suspicions that Naver might be attempting to increase its political influence, intensifying their offensive. Ultimately, Naver decided to discontinue the service.

A Naver representative stated, "After careful consideration, we decided to end the Trend Topic, which was being piloted in the recommended subscription section," adding, "Currently, there are no plans for a similar service."

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