Naver to Establish Dedicated Digital Healthcare Division to Accelerate Medical AI Business

New Division to Launch Next Month
Led by Senacle Co-CEOs Ui Suk Wi and Park Chanhee

Naver will establish a dedicated digital healthcare unit next month as it accelerates efforts to expand its digital healthcare business. The company plans to launch its medical artificial intelligence (AI) business in earnest by integrating the healthcare service capabilities of Cenacle Soft, which it acquired last year, with Naver's accumulated technological expertise and service platforms.

Lee Hae-jin, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Naver, speaking Photo by Yonhap News

On September 9, Naver announced that it will set up a dedicated digital healthcare organization under its tech business division on October 1 and restructure to monetize its medical AI business. A Naver spokesperson said, "The digital healthcare unit will be part of the tech business division led by Choi Inhyuk, enabling a faster integration with existing technology infrastructure," adding, "We are currently finalizing team composition and staffing for the new organization."

Cenacle Soft's co-CEOs Yoo Eui-seok and Park Chanhee—whose company was acquired by Naver last year, specializes in integrated cloud-based electronic medical record (EMR) systems—have been tapped to head the new unit. The specific name and executive titles for the organization are currently being coordinated. Cenacle Soft currently operates 'Orem Chart,' a cloud-based EMR service for primary care clinics, supporting tasks such as hospital appointments, registration, billing, prescriptions, and patient management.

Naver has consistently invested in the healthcare sector in pursuit of business opportunities. It acquired a stake in body composition analysis company InBody and invested in JNP Medi, a digital clinical trial platform provider. In March, the "Applied AI" group, responsible for developing AI models specialized for healthcare, was moved from Naver Cloud to the tech business division, as part of organizational restructuring.

Naver plans to consolidate its separately-acquired healthcare data and clinical platform capabilities, building a foundation for future business models. In the second half of the year, it will release "Health Agent" and move to further monetize its medical AI offerings.

Lee Hae-jin, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Naver, has been highlighting medical AI as a future growth driver, maintaining sustained interest and investment. Last year, Lee stated, "Naver's investment in medical AI is sincere," emphasizing the company's aim to pursue new growth opportunities in the AI era within the medical sector.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.