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Saudi Arabian government delegation meets with Naver executives at the “GAK Chuncheon” Data Center in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on September 22. From left, third person: Chae Sun-joo, Head of Strategic Business at Naver, Chairperson of Naver Innovation and Naver Arabia RHQ; Ali bin Hadi Rajhi, Vice Minister of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing; Rayan Alaql, CEO of NHC Innovation; Yasser Alobaidan, CEO of Balady; and Kim Yoo-won, CEO of Naver Cloud, pose for a commemorative photo. |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] SEOUL, South Korea – October 23, 2025 – A high-level Saudi Arabian government delegation, including officials from the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing (MOMRAH) and the National Housing Company (NHC), visited Naver Cloud’s Data Center in Chuncheon, South Korea, for strategic discussions with Naver executives.
According to industry sources, the delegation—comprising around 20 senior Saudi officials—met with Chae Sun-joo, Head of Strategic Business at Naver and Chairperson of Naver Innovation (the joint venture), and Kim Yoo-won, CEO of Naver Cloud. The group also toured Naver’s 1784 headquarters in Seongnam, reaffirming ongoing collaboration between Naver and the Saudi government.
Key attendees included Ali Bin Hadi Rajhi, Vice Minister of MOMRAH; Rayan Al-Aqeel, CEO of NHC Innovation (the digital subsidiary of NHC); and Yasser Al-Obaidan, CEO of Balady, a key partner in Saudi Arabia’s Digital Twin project.
During their stay, Naver and the Saudi delegation held a joint workshop at Naver’s Green Factory in Bundang to prepare for the first board meeting of Naver Innovation, the Saudi joint venture established in May 2024. Co-founded by Naver Cloud and NHC Innovation, the new entity focuses on developing map-based super apps and operating Digital Twin platforms to support Saudi Arabia’s smart city transformation.
Naver’s collaboration with Saudi Arabia has gained momentum since the company won the KSA Digital Twin Platform project in October 2023. Together with Naver Labs, Naver has built high-precision 3D digital models of Mecca, Medina, and Jeddah, marking a significant milestone in the kingdom’s digital urban development.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
