AI · SEMICONDUCTOR · FACT CHECK
SKD WIREMostly True
Corporate tax figures cited during a National Assembly audit — approximately 700 billion won for Naver and 25.8 billion won for Google Korea — have sparked controversy over the tax burden carried by the Korean unit of the US tech giant relative to its domestic rival.
The numbers were put forward during a parliamentary inspection, drawing attention to the gap between the tax payments of Naver and Google Korea. Critics at the audit argued that the disparity suggests Google Korea's local tax contributions are disproportionately low given the scale of its business in the Korean market, while Naver — a domestic company of comparable or greater market presence — paid roughly 27 times more.
The comparison quickly became a point of contention in the audit session, touching on long-standing concerns about how global platform companies structure their Korean operations and where revenue generated from Korean users is recognized for tax purposes. The figures circulated widely afterward, framing the debate as a question of tax fairness between domestic and foreign platform operators.
It remains unclear from the audit exchange whether the figures reflect a single fiscal year or a comparable reporting period for both companies, and neither Google Korea nor Naver is confirmed to have issued a formal response addressing the specific numbers cited.
Verdict: Mostly True