Naver Reportedly Blocked in China

Naver is a leading online platform in South Korea, and it is accessible in other countries too. However, in a recent report, it was said that the web portal was suddenly blocked in China.

In response to the news, the Korean government is reportedly checking the validity of the reports. The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Tuesday that it is looking into the case and verifying with other federal agencies if Naver was indeed out of service in China.

According to Korea Joongang Daily, while the government is verifying the reports, the spokesman of Naver Corp. confirmed that the company’s web services, such as search engine and mail, were not available as early as Monday.

No one has come forward yet to explain the reason for the service interruption for Naver users in China, but some Industry insiders think that the sudden halt of the service may have something to do with the strict censorship regulations in the territory.

“We are aware of the related reports. The ministry is checking the matter jointly with related government agencies,” Lim Soo Uk, the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, said on Tuesday. “Naver has been blocked since 6 p.m. on May 22.”

KBS World News reported that China claimed it is now aware of the situation involving Naver. Mao Ning, the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said that they do not have solid information about the matter and subsequently advised the media to direct their inquiries to the relevant Chinese authority.

Meanwhile, users across China, including Shanghai and Beijing, have raised their concerns about not being able to access Naver. Others said they could still visit the web portal, but the loading time has gotten significantly slow. Koreans residing in China also confirmed via postings on local online forums that Naver is indeed not available in the area.

Photo by: Naver Website