By Ian Werther in News — 14 Mar 2026

Former Naver CEO Han Seong-sook tops Korea's executive pay at 10.343 billion won

South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service shows that Han Seong-sook, the minister of SMEs and Startups and a former Naver chief executive, was the country’s top-paid executive at Naver last year. Her total compensation reached 10.343 billion won, according to the FSS’s electronic disclosure system.

Her pay mix included 375 million won in salary, 342 million won in bonuses, and 469 million won in other income. A large portion came from retirement income of 4.038 billion won, with an additional 5.12 billion won treated as other income from exercising stock options.

Float of the 2023 flower parade of Zundert from hamlet Molenstraat, titled "8.000.000.000". The float is seemingly something of a black box from the outside, but contains numerous figures inside, that can be seen peeking out from below on the mirrored surface.The float was 14th in the parade. With 558 points awarded, it won 5th place. It also won the "Pluim", a special award for floats with innovative design.The float was designed by Robin Schijfs, Gijs Martens, Ton van Beek and Jesse Verheijen. — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Choi Su-yeon, Naver’s chief executive officer, earned 1.969 billion won in 2024, a rise of about 54 percent from the previous year, according to the same disclosures. Naver explained the increase as reflecting leadership contributions to its AI-driven growth and platform expansion.

Other top earners at Naver in the year included Chairman Lee Hae-jin with 2.437 billion won, Chief Strategy Officer Chae Seon-ju with 2.011 billion won, and Chief Operating Officer Kim Beom-jun with 1.857 billion won. Their compensation figures illustrate the close link between leadership at South Korea’s dominant tech conglomerate and its corporate strategy.

21/05/2024. Seoul, South Korea. Michelle Donelan, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology meets with Choi Soo-Yeon, CEO of Naver. Naver Corporation is the largest internet conglomerate in South Korea and offers a range of digital services. She was the company’s first female CEO as well as the youngest when she was appointed in 2022. Picture: Zoe-Rose Herbert / DSIT — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY 2.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Han Seong-sook’s trajectory—from Naver CEO to government minister—highlights the dynamic overlap between Korea’s tech industry and public policy. The SME and Startups Ministry oversees policies affecting digital platforms, AI, and startup ecosystems, areas where Naver and similar firms exert influence on regulatory directions.

For U.S. readers, the figures underscore broader themes: how leading tech firms in major foreign markets compensate executives who may later shape national tech and innovation policy, and how government decisions in AI, data, and digital commerce can affect global markets, supply chains, and competition. Naver’s 2024 priorities—AI-powered advertising growth, an expanded N+ Store, partnerships, a loyalty program, and a leading short-form streaming platform—signal areas where Korean tech and cross-border competition could converge with American platforms.

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