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Chairman of Naver’s Board of Directors
Lee Hae-jin
Bold Strategist Back at the Helm After Eight Years
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Last Updated on Aug 18, 2025
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Chairman of Naver’s Board of Directors
Life Summary
Lee Hae-jin is the Chairman of Naver’s Board of Directors. He also serves as Chairman of A Holdings Corp., a joint venture between Naver and SoftBank in Japan.
He has focused on enhancing Naver’s competitiveness in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) and on expanding its global reach.
He was born on June 22, 1967, in Seoul.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Seoul National University and a master’s degree in computer science from KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology).
He began his career at Samsung SDS before founding Navercom, the predecessor of Naver, in 1999.
He merged Navercom with Hangame, founded by Kakao’s founder Kim Beom-su, to establish NHN. He served as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and Chairman of the Board of NHN. After Hangame was spun off as NHN Entertainment Corp., the company changed its name to Naver.
Although he stepped down from the board chairmanship in 2017 to become Chief Global Investment Officer, he returned to the role in 2025.
Leveraging the success of the 'Knowledge iN' service, he positioned NHN as the leading internet portal in Korea.
Despite his meticulous and calm demeanor, he is known to be cold and bold when decisive action is required. He does not fear taking risks.
#Naver #LeeHaejin #SoftBank #AI #globalstrategy #NHN #KnowledgeiN #techleadership #KoreaIT #digitaltransformation
He has focused on enhancing Naver’s competitiveness in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) and on expanding its global reach.
He was born on June 22, 1967, in Seoul.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Seoul National University and a master’s degree in computer science from KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology).
He began his career at Samsung SDS before founding Navercom, the predecessor of Naver, in 1999.
He merged Navercom with Hangame, founded by Kakao’s founder Kim Beom-su, to establish NHN. He served as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and Chairman of the Board of NHN. After Hangame was spun off as NHN Entertainment Corp., the company changed its name to Naver.
Although he stepped down from the board chairmanship in 2017 to become Chief Global Investment Officer, he returned to the role in 2025.
Leveraging the success of the 'Knowledge iN' service, he positioned NHN as the leading internet portal in Korea.
Despite his meticulous and calm demeanor, he is known to be cold and bold when decisive action is required. He does not fear taking risks.
#Naver #LeeHaejin #SoftBank #AI #globalstrategy #NHN #KnowledgeiN #techleadership #KoreaIT #digitaltransformation