Lee Hae-jin

Lee earned a computer engineering bachelor’s degree from Seoul National University in 1990 and a computing master’s degree from KAIST in 1992. SNU’s 2023 alumni award profile also records his Korean and Chinese-character names.⁠[1]

His venture grew from a search project inside Samsung SDS. NAVER’s corporate history records incorporation of Naver.com and launch of the NAVER search portal in June 1999, distinct from earlier project development.⁠[2][1]

SNU’s biography lists him as NHN co-representative director in 2000–2003 and subsequently chairman of NHN and NAVER. His work expanded from search to community content and international internet services.⁠[1]

SNU’s 2023 profile lists him as LINE chairman from 2013. LINE was developed by a Japan-based team: Jungho ShinJungho ShinJungho Shin, also known as Shin Jung-ho, is a creator of LINE and a product executive. He has served as LINE co-CEO, representative director of LINE Plus and group chief product officer of Z Holdings. LY Corporation listed him as chief product officer in its April 2026 management structure.Open the full entry led product creation and Akira MorikawaAkira MorikawaAkira Morikawa is a Japanese internet executive and founder of C Channel. He led NHN Japan and LINE during the messenger’s launch and early international expansion, while crediting the product’s development to its team.Open the full entry led the company during its early growth, while Lee’s role concerned the NAVER group and international strategy.⁠[1]

From 2017 he served as NAVER global investment officer, focusing on international business and partnerships. The announcement of his 2025 board return emphasized that GIO experience.⁠[3]

NAVER shareholders approved Lee as an inside director, after which the board elected him chairman and reappointed Choi Soo-yeon CEO. NAVER linked the appointments to AI transformation and long-term strategy.⁠[3]

At a Silicon Valley event, Lee outlined NAVER Ventures’ investment and partnership aims. He argued that local data, languages and specialist domains would differentiate AI systems and advocated diverse AI options for different countries and organizations.⁠[4]

NAVER announced plans for an AI factory with NVIDIANVIDIANVIDIA is an American semiconductor and computing technology company that provides graphics processing units, artificial intelligence infrastructure, networking interconnects, and computing software, and is listed on Nasdaq under the ticker NVDA.Open the full entry and Brookfield. Lee emphasized AI diversity. Financing, construction and operating dates in the announcement were plans, rather than evidence of a completed facility or fully received funding.⁠[5]

His principal associations include NAVER, LINE and NAVER Ventures. Corporate announcements and SNU’s alumni profile document his public career.⁠[1]