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“What to Buy and Where to Go in Korea?”—NAVER Papago Becomes a Korea Travel Guide with Trend

- Using image translation data from international users, Trend introduces Korean products and places that draw strong interest, expanding the experience from translation to “discovery”

- AI Briefing makes product information easy to check, and NAVER Place and NAVER Map take users from finding popular restaurants to getting directions and making reservations

- Firsthand reviews from local users, along with detailed information, are translated into English, Japanese, and Chinese to make Korean-language content more accessible

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October 19, 2026

NAVER Corp. (CEO Choi Soo-yeon) announced on October 19 that it has launched Trend, a service in the NAVER Papago app that helps international users traveling in Korea go from exploring products and places to visiting and making reservations.

Regarded as a must-have app for touring Korea, Papago* uses Trend to showcase the Korean products and places that foreign users are highly interested in. It enables international visitors weighing what to buy and where to go in Korea to browse a variety of options and even check reviews from local users so they can enjoy their trip.

*Note: Papago, along with NAVER Map, was selected by the Korea Tourism Organization as one of its “2024 Essential Apps for Foreign Tourists.”

Users whose devices are set to a language other than Korean can access the service through the Trend button at the top right of the Papago app’s home screen. Trend is offered in four languages: English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. On devices set to any other foreign language, it appears in English.

Popular products and places frequently sought by foreign visitors at a glance, with AI Briefing and vivid user-generated content providing rich travel information

Based on image translation data from international users visiting Korea, Trend shows the products and places that foreign travelers have looked up most. Users can browse a range of options based on their interests and see what is catching the eye of overseas visitors traveling in Korea.

The products section is organized into TOP 100 (the 100 most popular products), Rising (products gaining popularity), Beauty, Food, and Health. Here, users can explore items that come up frequently in image translation, items that have recently drawn more interest, and products by category, such as beauty, food, and health. After selecting a product, they can quickly check its key information through AI Briefing in their device’s language and look through detailed user reviews and in-depth information in linked blog content and on NAVER Shopping.

In the places section, TOP 100 (the 100 most popular places) and Rising (places gaining popularity) spotlight locations with heavy image translation use and those drawing attention lately. Hot Spots (popular places by area) rounds up favorites in key Seoul neighborhoods such as Myeong-dong, Hongdae, and Seongsu, as well as major Korean tourist destinations, including Jeju and Busan, so travelers can easily find spots worth visiting along their route. Selecting a place brings up its business hours, location, menu, and user reviews from NAVER Place in the device’s language, and users can then continue on to NAVER Map Directions, reservations, and other features needed for the actual visit.

Bringing information and reviews built up in Korean to international visitors, Papago grows from a translation tool into an AI platform that supports all aspects of travel in Korea

By combining its translation technology with NAVER’s AI and diverse services, NAVER Papago is evolving into an AI platform that helps users go from understanding information to exploring products and places and taking action. In April, Papago added NAVER Place restaurant and store information, as well as product information from AI Briefing, to its image translation results. In July, it expanded the feature so that photographing a Japanese sign or product image brings up restaurant listings from Tabelog and product details from AI Briefing.

Trend takes this experience a step further, into “discovery.” Whereas the existing image translation feature has helped people understand and explore the products and places they come across on the spot, Trend draws on real usage data from foreign visitors to help users discover Korean products and places previously unknown to them.

The service is especially significant in that it uses Papago’s translation technology to connect overseas visitors with the Korean information and content accumulated on NAVER, making that content easier for them to access. Even those unfamiliar with Korean can explore blog posts and reviews that capture local users’ firsthand experiences, along with detailed information on products and places, and plan and enjoy a trip to Korea that suits their own tastes.

“In the era of AI agents, Papago will go beyond translation to become a guide that conveniently assists international tourists throughout their travels, including with shopping, directions, and reservations,” said Shin Joonghwi, Leader of NAVER AI Search. “By bringing together NAVER’s AI search technology, wide range of services, and high-quality data, we will continue to uncover new value for users as they discover and experience Korea’s products and places.” (End)