Naver Launches Lounge Platform with Open Talk Integration

Seoul, South Korea - Naver Corp. announced Wednesday the launch of Lounge, a content platform that integrates topic-based bulletin boards with real-time chat.

The platform enables users to access communities without requiring separate registration.

The service synchronizes topic-specific bulletin boards with Open Talk, Naver's real-time chat service, allowing users to read posts, comment, and participate in group chats within a single interface.

Naver said it will integrate its Winter Olympics special page into Naver Sports, allowing users to share commentary while watching sports broadcasts.

The company said it has established links between Lounge and its Integrated Search and Jisik-iN services to direct users to relevant community pages based on search queries.

The platform features eight primary categories at launch: broadcasting and movies, sports, automotive, counseling, humor, gaming, psychology, and animals. These are subdivided into 425 specific categories.

Naver said it plans to expand categories based on user activity and trending topics.

The company selected a group called Lounge Mates to generate content and manage community interactions for six months, beginning in February.

Naver is running a promotional event offering Npay points to users who complete activities, such as posting, joining communities, or commenting