Different rain in Naverland

In South-Korea 76% of internet searches are being done on search engine Naver. Where Google is not the market leader in search in China nor Japan, it seems almost like none of the South-Koreans Google anything at all. Naver does not only search but also provides an internet portal drawing together news, e-mail, discussion groups, stockmarket information, videos, restaurant reviews etc. According to The Economist some 17m people visit its home-page every day and since January they have been able to customise it according to their own tastes.

The Economist has an interesting article on search-engines in South-Korea, China and Japan. The article gives as main reason for the success of other search engines the adaption to local needs. Searches require typical results in anglo-based countries, but might need to show complete different results in Asian countries. Where 'rain' leads to hits on falling water in Google, Naver brings people to results on a popular singer and actor called Rain.

If you're curious about search in Asia, read the full article at http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13185891