Why did Toss challenge Naver’s exclusion of Toss Place from its POS data integration service?

Toss Place said it had sought integration for two years but received no clear explanation of the criteria for inclusion. Naver had integrated its platform with 15 other POS providers, prompting concerns about unfair discrimination.

What is the Fair Trade Commission doing about the Naver-Toss dispute?

During a parliamentary audit on Monday, the Fair Trade Commission said it would review claims from both companies to determine whether Naver had unfairly discriminated against Toss Place. The review covers the dispute over POS integration.

How are Naver and Toss competing to expand their payment businesses?

Naver is using its search and content businesses to expand from online searches and bookings into in-store payments and AI services. Toss is pursuing a similar data-driven super-app strategy by connecting its financial users with payments, shopping and advertising.

Naver-Toss rivalry deepens as both sides trade accusations

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Summary

Naver and Toss traded accusations in Seoul on Tuesday over POS integration and reward-based advertising as their rivalry in online and offline payments intensified. Naver excluded Toss Place from a service linking merchants’ transaction data with its search and map platforms, while Toss challenged the lack of clear inclusion criteria. The Fair Trade Commission said it would review the claims, and Naver separately sought a police investigation into Toss’s advertising practices.

Key Facts

Naver has integrated its platform with 15 POS providers but excluded Toss Place, according to Rep. Song Eon-seog of the People Power Party.
Toss Place CEO Choi Jae-ho said the company had sought integration for two years without receiving a clear explanation of the inclusion criteria.
Naver said it was gradually expanding integrations based on objective criteria and denied discriminating against Toss Place.
Toss removed Naver from its reward-based advertising program after Naver alleged that the practice distorted search rankings, but Naver said it would maintain its request for a police investigation.
At a Seoul barbecue restaurant in June, the venue switched from Toss payment terminals to Naver devices one day before Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met Korean conglomerate chiefs there.

By Lee Yeon-woo

Published Oct 13, 2026 3:33 pm KST

The headquarters of Toss in Seoul, left, and Naver in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province / Yonhap

The rivalry between Korean tech giants Toss and Naver has escalated into a public dispute, with both sides trading accusations of unfair business practices, drawing scrutiny from lawmakers, industry officials said Tuesday.

The latest dispute centers on Naver's exclusion of Toss Place's point-of-sale (POS) system from a service that integrates merchants' transaction data with Naver's search and map services. The integration allows users to check information such as a restaurant's popular menu items and peak hours.

Naver has integrated its platform with 15 other POS providers but has excluded Toss Place, according to Rep. Song Eon-seog of the main opposition People Power Party.

Toss Place CEO Choi Jae-ho said the company had sought integration for two years but had received no clear explanation of the criteria for inclusion. Naver denied discriminating against Toss Place, saying it was gradually expanding integrations based on objective criteria.

During a parliamentary audit Monday, the Fair Trade Commission said it would review both sides' claims to determine whether any unfair discrimination had occurred.

In a separate dispute, Naver has accused Toss of manipulating its search rankings.

Last month, Naver asked police to investigate Toss's reward-based advertising practices, alleging that they distorted Naver's search rankings. Toss' ads offer users points for completing tasks such as searching for specific products, viewing product details or submitting screenshots of search results.

Viva Republica CEO Lee Seung-gun, left, and Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon / Courtesy of Viva Republica, Naver

Toss has since removed Naver from its reward-based advertising program, but Naver has maintained that it will not withdraw its request for a police investigation.

The clashes come amid an intensifying rivalry between Naver and Toss, both major players in Korea's online payments market, as they seek to expand their presence in offline payments. Transaction data collected at physical stores is increasingly seen as a key competitive asset for digital platforms.

Naver has leveraged its strengths in search and content to expand into shopping and financial services. It now aims to extend its reach from online searches and bookings to in-store payments through POS terminals, using the resulting data to enhance its AI services.

Toss, which has expanded from money transfers into banking and securities, is pursuing a similar data-driven "super-app" strategy. It aims to connect its financial user base with everyday activities, including payments, shopping and advertising.

The rivalry came into sharp focus at a barbecue restaurant in Seoul in June, where Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met with the heads of major Korean conglomerates.

The restaurant had previously used Toss payment terminals but switched to Naver's devices at Naver's request just a day before the gathering. Lee Hae-jin, Naver's founder and board chair, drew attention by paying with the company's facial recognition technology at the event.

"At its core, this is a battle for market dominance," an industry official said. "Both companies are seeking to control more of the consumer journey, from online searches to offline payments, with data becoming an increasingly valuable asset."

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