South Korean platform companies are sharply expanding their map services. NAVER has introduced a world map, extending its coverage overseas, while Kakao (035720.KS) has upgraded features built around communication and relationships between users. The moves are seen as an attempt to solidify a lock-in effect by offering everyday convenience features that cannot easily be replaced, before foreign platforms such as Google make a full push into the domestic market.
NAVER recently added an "Labs" menu to its map app, with "World Map" as the first feature, according to IT industry sources on the 31st. Labs is a space designed to gather user reactions and feedback ahead of an official rollout.
NAVER Map's overseas coverage had been limited to East Asian countries including China and Japan, along with a few other regions such as Australia. The latest revamp expands it worldwide. Users can now easily check their current location while traveling abroad, opening the possibility of expanding into linked services comparable to those offered at home, such as reservations at local restaurants.
NAVER has also been steadily upgrading personalized features that reflect users' locations and interests. Since the middle of this month, searching for a region name along with "places worth visiting" in integrated search displays lists of restaurants and attractions saved by other users. The company plans to widen the coverage, starting with 10 regions including Busan, Gyeongju and Yeosu. NAVER also introduced a feature that lets users create their own walking courses by freely setting waypoints between a starting point and a destination.
Kakao Map is focusing on relationship-based services that draw on its connection with KakaoTalk. A recently added "Run Together" feature lets users form groups with friends and check and share each other's running records in real time. Records can be shared on outside platforms, and users can exchange messages of encouragement using KakaoTalk emoticons.
Kakao expects user inflows to gain momentum in connection with "Kakao Friends Run 2026," a marathon event scheduled for October.
A "Meeting Place" feature that helps coordinate gatherings is also drawing attention. Organizers can invite up to 30 people through a link, allowing them to arrange a one-off meeting spot without creating a separate group chat room or adding one another as KakaoTalk friends.
The push by domestic platform companies to strengthen map services is seen as a response to global Big Tech's entry into the local market. After the government granted conditional approval early this year to Google's request to export 1:5,000 scale map data, the industry expects Google to accelerate its move into the domestic market. South Korea is effectively the only country in the world where Google and Apple have failed to dominate the market.
In response, NAVER and Kakao are drawing on data accumulated through their existing services to expand maps beyond simple location and navigation information into platforms closely tied to daily life, bundling specialized benefits and features. The aim is to build vertical services in which everything from searching for a place to making reservations and payments is completed within a single map app, embedding a user experience that Google cannot match.
"Map services are now evolving beyond simple navigation into customized agents that support everyday convenience," an industry official said. "The outcome of the competition between platforms will depend on what kind of content and features they attach to users' daily lives."
