By Kim Jae-heun
Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin made a surprise visit to Naver's headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, to meet Lee Hae-jin, the Internet portal operator's founder and global investment officer (GIO), Thursday.
The two were joined by the E-Mart CEO Kang Heui-seok and Naver CEO Han Seong-sook, to discuss possible business partnerships in online shopping. E-Mart is a subsidiary of Shinsegae Group.
No specific deal has been confirmed, but a Shinsegae Group official said they discussed areas of common interest where they can create synergy in the retail and e-commerce businesses.
Another industry source said Naver will establish a strategic partnership with Shinsegae Group or swap stocks with the retail giant to seek cooperation as it did with CJ Logistics last October.