Prime Highlights :
- Naver signs MOU with the National Institute for Lifelong Education to develop AI and digital literacy content for seniors.
- The partnership aims to help close South Korea’s digital divide as AI reshapes everyday services.
Key Facts :
- A digital literacy textbook built on Naver’s Whale browser will guide seniors through tools like Naver Shopping.
- NILE plans to distribute the content nationwide through its lifelong learning centres.
Background :
Naver has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Institute for Lifelong Education to jointly develop AI and digital literacy content for senior citizens, as part of a wider effort to narrow South Korea’s digital divide. The two organisations finalised the agreement at Naver’s headquarters in Bundang.
The initiative comes as South Korea works to close a widening digital divide, particularly among older residents who often find it harder to access AI powered services that are becoming central to daily life, from banking to shopping. Government backed lifelong education programmes like NILE’s are increasingly seen as key channels for bridging that gap.
Under the partnership, Naver and NILE plan to co-develop and distribute lifelong education content covering AI tools and digital literacy, aimed at strengthening everyday digital skills among seniors and other digitally underserved groups.
A key part of the collaboration is a digital literacy textbook built on Naver’s Whale browser, designed to guide users through practical services such as Naver Shopping along with Whale’s core features, making everyday digital tools easier for older users to navigate.
Naver plans to roll out the textbook in phases, with NILE distributing the material through its network of lifelong learning centres nationwide.
NILE president Kim Wol-yong said linking Naver’s technology with the education sector in the era of generative AI would help close the digital literacy gap in daily life.
Naver said the partnership would also support its commercial goals. Lee Yoon-sook, who heads the company’s shopping business division, said Naver would continue upgrading its services for the AI commerce era while backing the educational initiative so that AI based services, including Naver Shopping, can become easy and convenient tools for everyone.
