Naver Teams Up with KBS: Why This AI Partnership Could Change Korean Broadcasting Forever

The Biggest Media-Tech Partnership Korea Has Ever Seen

When South Korea's leading tech giant Naver and the nation's premier public broadcaster KBS announced their AI collaboration on July 24, 2025, it sent shockwaves through the media industry. At a signing ceremony held at Naver's futuristic headquarters 1784 in Seongnam, CEO Choi Soo-yeon and KBS President Park Jang-beom made a bold promise: to strengthen Korea's AI competitiveness while transforming how broadcast content is created and consumed.

This isn't just another corporate handshake. KBS declared 2025 as the Year of AI Broadcasting on their 52nd anniversary, signaling a complete transformation of traditional media production. The partnership brings together Naver's cutting-edge HyperCLOVA X AI technology with KBS's vast archive of premium content spanning decades of Korean broadcasting history.

What makes this collaboration particularly exciting is the timing. As global tech giants race to dominate the AI landscape, Korea is asserting its technological independence through domestic partnerships that protect AI sovereignty while creating uniquely Korean solutions.

HyperCLOVA X: The Korean AI Making Global Waves

You might be wondering what exactly HyperCLOVA X brings to the table. Naver's flagship AI model isn't just another language model, it's specifically optimized for Korean language and culture. Released as an upgraded version of the original HyperCLOVA in 2023, this AI has evolved to understand not just text but also visual and audio information, making it a true multimodal powerhouse.

The numbers speak for themselves. HyperCLOVA X THINK, the reasoning-focused model unveiled in June 2025, scored 46.4% accuracy on Korean STEM image problems, outperforming GPT-4.1 and GPT-4o by significant margins. Even more impressive, the open-source SEED models achieved over one million downloads within just three months of release, demonstrating global interest in Korean AI technology.

Naver's commitment to accessibility is equally noteworthy. By releasing lightweight models under MIT license, they've enabled commercial use without restrictions, fostering a vibrant ecosystem where developers can build innovative applications. From real-time laundry Q&A chatbots to automated video editing tools, HyperCLOVA X is already transforming everyday life in Korea.

From Classic Horror to AI Animation: KBS Goes All In

KBS isn't approaching AI timidly, they're diving in headfirst. The broadcaster's most ambitious project so far is the AI-animated revival of The Legend of Hometown, Korea's iconic horror anthology series that defined the genre from 1977 to 2009. The Gumiho episode, which aired on Children's Day 2025, became Korea's first fully AI-generated broadcast animation.

Every aspect of production utilized generative AI: character design, scene composition, and even voice synthesis. This wasn't just a technical experiment, it was a strategic move to breathe new life into KBS's valuable intellectual property while targeting younger audiences and international markets. The results have sparked intense discussions online, with communities on Naver, DC Inside, and FMKorea debating whether AI can truly capture the atmospheric dread that made the original series legendary.

Beyond entertainment, KBS is deploying AI for public service. AI-powered disaster detection systems now automatically identify wildfires and other emergencies, while AI anchors are being tested for radio news broadcasts. Perhaps most importantly, the broadcaster is developing AI-based automatic captioning and audio description systems to make content accessible for viewers with hearing and visual impairments.

What Korean Netizens Are Saying About the Partnership

Online reactions to the Naver-KBS collaboration reveal fascinating cultural insights. On tech-focused communities like PGR21 and developer forums, the partnership is seen as a necessary step toward AI independence. Users frequently express pride that Korean companies are developing sovereign AI technology rather than relying entirely on American or Chinese models.

However, concerns exist too. Some journalists and media professionals have raised questions about data rights and whether KBS's news archives should be used for commercial AI training without broader industry consultation. The debate reflects larger tensions about how public institutions should balance innovation with their public service mandate.

Gaming and entertainment communities on FMKorea show particular interest in how AI might enhance K-content production. Many see the potential for Korean dramas, variety shows, and music content to reach global audiences more effectively through AI-powered translation, editing, and personalization tools. The sentiment is clear: if AI can amplify K-culture's global influence, it's worth embracing, but the technology must serve creators rather than replace them.

The Global AI Race: Korea's Strategic Play

This partnership represents more than technological advancement, it's a geopolitical statement. As countries worldwide recognize AI as critical infrastructure, Korea is positioning itself as a sovereign AI power. The collaboration between Naver and KBS mirrors global trends where media companies partner with tech firms, but with a distinctly Korean approach that emphasizes cultural preservation and public benefit.

Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon emphasized that the partnership aims to create new value for the broadcasting and media ecosystem while respecting copyright holders' rights. KBS President Park noted that this is a joint declaration to secure AI sovereignty while maintaining public responsibility, highlighting how Korean institutions are trying to balance innovation with social values.

Looking ahead, the two organizations plan to establish an AI Coexistence Cooperation Committee to explore specific applications across content planning, production, distribution, and broadcasting. From disaster mapping that combines KBS emergency content with Naver's AI to automated video analysis tools that help producers find specific scenes in vast archives, the possibilities seem endless. For international observers of Korean tech and culture, this partnership offers a fascinating glimpse into how one of Asia's most dynamic economies is shaping its AI future.