Google Surpasses Naver in Korea Monthly Users Amid AI Search Rise

Google has surpassed Naver in monthly average users (MAUs) in Korea for the first time, according to domestic market tracker Mobile Index.

The Google app recorded 47.02 million MAUs last month, ranking first in the productivity app category, and was 177,837 higher than Naver's 46.84 million.

This marks the first time Google has overtaken Naver in MAUs since Mobile Index began tracking relevant data in March 2021.

Naver has seen its monthly user count remain in the 43 million to 46 million range from January 2023 through last month, while Google's MAUs have been steadily increasing.

The industry attributes Google's rise to the growing convergence of search and generative AI, which is diversifying the ways users seek and consume information.