Line-Naver spat presents dilemma for Yoon's Japan policy push

South Korean president caught between backing local company, balancing Tokyo ties

20240514 Yoon, LY, Naver

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's policy of forward-looking relations with Japan is getting entangled in a bilateral business dispute. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Yuki Nakao, Reuters and AP)

STEVEN BOROWIEC, Nikkei staff writer

SEOUL -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's policy of rapprochement with Japan is coming under increasing pressure stemming from a dispute involving prominent technology companies from both countries.

Liberal opposition politicians have lambasted the conservative Yoon for what they say is a weak response to perceived pressure from Tokyo on Naver, the owner of a stake in LY Corp., which runs the web portal Yahoo Japan and the popular messaging app Line. Naver, meanwhile, operates South Korea's most-used search engine.

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