The “Be Local” campaign, which began Monday, targets users who set the Naver Map app to a foreign language. (Image provided by Naver)
SEOUL, April 15 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean tech giant Naver has kicked off a month-long campaign aimed at foreign tourists, promoting trendy destinations across the country through its map platform as part of broader efforts to compete with global rivals like Google.
The “Be Local” campaign, which began Monday, targets users who set the Naver Map app to a foreign language. It features curated recommendations for popular neighborhoods among international visitors—including Myeongdong, Seongsu, Itaewon, and Hannam-dong—highlighting restaurants, cafés, and cultural spaces especially favored by travelers in their 20s and 30s.
Naver is also partnering with major Korean brands frequented by tourists—such as Olive Young, Innisfree, and Musinsa—to offer promotional discounts and coupons during the campaign period.
The initiative comes as Google renews pressure on the South Korean government to lift restrictions on the export of high-resolution domestic map data. In February 2025, Google formally requested permission from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the National Geographic Information Institute to transfer 1:5,000 scale maps of South Korea to its overseas data centers.
For nearly a decade, South Korea has blocked such exports by foreign tech firms—including Google and Apple—citing national security concerns. As a result, non-Korean mapping apps have struggled to offer the same level of precision and functionality as domestic services like Naver Map.
Analysts view Naver’s campaign as a strategic move to solidify its dominance in the local navigation and tourism tech space, especially as geopolitical and regulatory debates over map data resurface.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
