Naver and Saudi Arabia sign deal for joint digital projects

Naver signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipal and Affairs and Housing and Ministry of Investment on Thursday in Riyadh, for digital projects in the Middle Eastern country.

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Municipality and Rural Affairs and Housing Majed bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, fourth from left, during his visit to Naver's office building in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 29, 2022 [NAVER]

Naver and Saudi Arabia signed a deal for joint digital projects, the tech company said Thursday.

Naver signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipal and Affairs and Housing and Ministry of Investment on Thursday in Riyadh, for digital projects in the Middle Eastern country.

As part of a comprehensive collaboration, Naver will help the Saudi Arabian government with digital transformation projects, possibly involving robotics and digital twin technologies for city management as well as mobile app development.

Naver was one of the 22 companies that sent representatives to accompany Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong on his trip to Saudi Arabia in November last year, seeking to participate in the country's massive $500-billion smart city project known as NEOM.

Naver pitched its smart building technology used in the Naver 1784 building during the trip to Saudi Arabia.

Three weeks after the trip, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Municipality and Rural Affairs and Housing Majed bin Abdullah Al-Hogail visited Naver's office building in Seongnam, Gyeonggi.

Naver’s newly-built office building, named Naver 1784, is serving as a test bed for many mapping technologies and robots.

“As Team Naver’s technological capabilities built with long-term investments have been recognized in the global market, we will actively work with the Saudi Arabian government for its state-led digital transformation project,” said Chae Seon-ju, head of environment, social and governance at Naver, who led the company’s team during the trip to Saudi Arabia.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]