South Korean tech giant Naver said Thursday it will focus on four Asian countries in expanding its K-pop livestreaming service, as part of efforts to boost its global profile starting with the region with better business outlook.

During a press conference in central Seoul, Naver V Live’s chief Park Sun-young said it had chosen Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan as strategic countries for expansion and would encourage local pop stars and influencers to participate in the V Live ecosystem.

The company seeks to boost its global profile by capitalizing on regions suitable for business expansion. The selected countries are known for their enthusiastic K-pop fans, advanced mobile infrastructure and developed entertainment industry, Naver said.

“We want to start by focusing on those countries with established local fandom,” said Park, adding that cooperation with each country may vary. “Those four countries all have their own fan culture, and it is very well established. That’s what we like them about.” 

For example, Park said Naver wants to use its own music program in Vietnam, “V Heratbeat,” to deliver advanced livestreaming services to local consumers. The same approach will be used in Indonesia in September.

As for Thailand and Japan, Naver will use the mobile messenger app Line to boost its popularity. Park added that V Live will work with big-name entertainment companies there for better streaming services.

Since being launched in 2014, V Live has become popular among global K-pop fans for its live broadcasting of concerts and behind-the-scenes moments. The service has an average of 30 million visitors per month, with about 85 percent of them from overseas, Naver said.

(jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)