Naver founder and Global Investment Officer (GIO) Lee Hae-jin visited Seoul National University Hospital as his first public appearance of the year.
On the 21st, during a special lecture at the 'Digital Bio Innovation Forum 2025' held at Seoul National University Hospital, he noted, "Naver is serious about investing in medical AI" and stated that it would focus on significant investments in the digital bio sector in the future.
The forum was co-hosted by Naver and Seoul National University Hospital and served as a platform to share research achievements and business cases in the digital bio field. Naver had previously announced a donation of 30 billion won to Seoul National University Hospital over three years to support digital bio research. This donation is the largest single research donation to Seoul National University Hospital, enabling the hospital to achieve the development of a Korean-style healthcare specialized large language model (LLM).
The GIO emphasized, "We need to boldly ride the tremendous wave of AI" and added, "If we combine hospital-specialized robotic technology with new attempts, there will be opportunities." Naver is collaborating with various hospitals in the medical AI field and investing in startups, while enhancing solutions that efficiently support medical staff's work. For example, they have developed AI solutions like 'Smart Survey' and 'Patient Summary' to process medical histories and examination results efficiently.
Naver is also expanding its investment in the bio and healthcare sector through D2SF, currently investing approximately 13 billion won in 21 out of 114 startups. Notable investment cases include the early screening solution for dementia 'EmoCog', the smart urine test kit 'QStack', the genetic analysis solution 'iCroGene', and the mobile health management technology 'Hure Positive'.
Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon remarked, "AI, big data, and cloud technologies will bring innovation to the healthcare sector," noting that through the collaboration between Naver and Seoul National University Hospital, they will develop more innovative technologies and lead advancements in healthcare.
Meanwhile, the GIO is preparing to return to the board of directors, with the agenda items for his appointment as an internal director and the reappointment of CEO Choi expected to pass at the shareholder meeting. This GIO's return is occurring after about seven years, and industry analysts believe participation in this event marks his first official step after returning to the board.