Trying to use the Naver Maps app with the English interface? Struggling to find information? Noticing a weird lack of parking or Korean restaurants? English speakers in Korea encounter several common issues when using Naver Maps. In this post, we will talk about Naver Maps and how it handles English UX/UI and the data you search. We LOVE Naver Maps in Korean but we want to be honest about the issues for English language users. About Naver Maps Naver Maps is Korea’s most popular navigation app. Created by Naver Corp., the country’s largest web portal created specifically for South Korea. Naver Maps helps you find places to go, get directions, and explore locations in South Korea. The Korea-specific navigation site & app show options for routes to places by car, bus, subway, motorbike, ferry, cycle, or by foot. Though Naver Maps may seem tricky at first, it works a lot like Google Maps and is very useful once you get used to it. However, if you don’t speak Korean, getting used to Naver Maps first requires understanding the issues in the English version and how to overcome them. The Following Article is Information and NOT Judgement It’s wonderful that Naver Corp. works to provide any type of English language support. The problems that exist for the English language interface make sense and eventually, as technology improves, such issues will fade away. However, right now they exist and we need to understand them. Also, Naver is NOT just trying to make things work for English speakers, the system also needs to work for Chinese and Japanese speakers. It’s a VERY complex issue so we can’t expect the system to be flawless. Information Regarding English Naver Maps Changes Quickly Please understand, that this article attempts to explain the complexity and technological issues behind building cross-language/cultural apps. Everything about the following information may feel difficult to grasp and tedious to understand. Information on this topic changes constantly as technology changes so this only represents where we are at with English Naver Maps in the fall of 2024. However, we hope it helps you create a framework for problem-solving. Of course, if English Naver has issues, why not use Google? Let’s talk about that. Naver Maps Instead of Google Maps The reason you need to use Naver Maps instead of Google Maps is that Google Maps doesn’t work properly in Korea. This problem relates to the Korean Spatial Information Management Act. Under such legislation, companies can’t export domestic geographical information. Since Google refuses to respect such regulations Korea does not share their data with them and Google can’t offer navigation information. Additionally, Korean businesses and society don’t function off of Google for many reasons. This means that information on Google is limited and often inaccurate because local people don’t maintain the information on Google well. In the end, Naver just works better and there is no reason to use Google other than an unwillingness to adapt. Naver Maps is Available as a Website & App Naver Corp. offers Naver Maps as a website or as an app. Since you will need the information for navigating, we recommend downloading the app and paying close attention to this article. Most folks use the app and that’s what we will be referring to throughout this blog post. The app is somewhat “new” and still needs work. Launch of Naver Maps in English Due to the Olympics in 2018, Naver Corp. released the English language Naver Maps interface to the public. Their target audience remains tourists. Some online information reports that Naver Corps had aspects of Naver Maps in English as early as 2010, but that’s not what the lived experience reflected during that time. We didn’t experience an English interface for Naver Maps until the Olympics. When the English Language version of Naver Maps was released, it was terrible to use. Therefore, those of us already living in Korea and using Naver Maps at the time didn’t adapt to the English version. In fact, many people who live in Korea semi-permanently don’t use the English language interface because it feels inconvenient. English Naver Maps Still Lags Behind As of 2024, six years later, Naver Maps still functions like a Frankenstein’s monster with different aspects of Korean and English UX/UI cobbled together. What do we mean by this statement? For example, the amount of Korean used in “English” Naver Maps feels so substantial many people think they are still using Naver Maps in Korean. Let’s dig deeper into how Naver Corp. created English Naver Maps and why it remains a mix of two languages. We will break this down into two parts: 1) the hard-coded English interface and 2) bi-language data management. A Hard-coded English User Interface The English version of Naver Maps has a hard-coded interface. To hard-code something means that it doesn’t change. So, in theory, the English user interface is hard-coded to remain in English all the time. The following images show what should be hard-coded into the English Naver Maps. Here are examples of what SHOULD be consistent in English. Some Things You THINK Are Hard Coded Are Not When we have to jump between the “English” and “Korean” versions of Naver Maps some English or Korean becomes unstable. For example, our Korean Naver Maps interface sometimes starts randomly populating things in English instead of Korean if we switch between the two. This usually happens in the horizontal sliding lists and not the menus. Therefore, we suggest not jumping between the Korean and English versions often. English Interface Choices Based on Tourist-Focused Assumptions Naver Maps seems to focus its English translations on what it thinks foreign tourists will need, rather than what long-term residents might find useful. This means many important features for residents are either missing or poorly translated. For example: However, features mainly used by locals, such as detailed parking options or resident-focused tools, are often not translated. As a result, while navigating Naver Maps, you might suddenly find yourself in the Korean interface when trying to access certain features. This switch can be confusing and stressful, especially if you’re not familiar with Korean. Let’s talk more about why such mixed language systems exist. Naver Maps Bi-language Data Management. When discussing the issues with the Korean database in Naver Maps being searchable in English, we all need to understand the technical issues involved. Understanding the invisible fight helps us adjust and find solutions in real life. Database Structure and Language Encoding The primary issue lies in how data is stored in Naver’s database. Naver Maps primarily uses Hangul (Korean script) for place names, addresses, and business listings. These entries are not inherently designed for English search queries. When a user searches in English, the system has to convert or match English input with Korean entries. This can be problematic because: Search Algorithm Limitations Naver Maps’ search engine was primarily designed for Korean users, so its search algorithms are optimized to process Korean language and culture inputs. When the search engine receives queries in English, several issues can arise: Limited Data Localization While major points of interest (tourist destinations, landmarks, etc.) might have English names associated with them, many local businesses, small restaurants, and lesser-known places do not. This inconsistency makes it hard for English speakers to access the same level of detail available to Korean users. Inadequate Language Translation Support Although Naver uses a translation service (Papago), it is not tightly integrated into the search function to facilitate seamless searches across languages. For a user searching in English, the translation layer might not be precise enough to yield accurate results. Place Name Variability (This is a BIG Issue) Place names in South Korea can vary significantly depending on the Romanization standard used, or even how names are colloquially referred to. Without a consistent matching system between Romanized names and their Hangul counterparts, it’s difficult to ensure search results align with what English-speaking users expect. Notice in the graphic below that these two businesses that focus on international residents have almost unsearchable names in English. Regional Dialects and Variations Korean place names might differ depending on the region (e.g., Jeju vs. Seoul), and the dialectal differences might not translate well into English. Naver Maps may struggle to interpret English queries that map to region-specific terms. The issue essentially boils down to the complexity of language differences, database structure, and insufficient localization for English-language users on a platform primarily designed for Korean speakers. Addressing these technical challenges requires significant investment in translation integration, better search algorithms, and improved data curation. Impact of UX/UI and Data Managment on English User Experience As you can imagine, the issues regarding the English lanaguage UX/UI and data manatment create a complicated English language user experience. Let’s talk about the stress you may feel if you can’t use the Korean version of Naver Maps. This following list is not exhaustive. You many find many other surprises along the way. Additionally, technology changes often and by the time you read this aricle some of these issue may be fixed. Incomplete or Inconsistent English Information Search Function Limitations Navigation and Directions Issues Limited Information for Foreign Culture Difficulties with Offline Maps Korean Culture Focused User Interface Issues with Geolocation and Addresses Lack of Integration with International Apps Challenges with Taxi or Ride-Hailing Services How to Overcome These Issues Now, at South of Seoul we try to always present solutions when talking about issues. We use the following systems for Use Korean for Search Whenever possible, try to search using Korean place names (in Hangul) to get more accurate results. You can use tools like Google Translate or Naver Papago to convert English names into Hangul. Use Translation Tools To search in Korean, utilize Naver Papago or Google Translate to instantly translate sections of the map or directions that are still in Korean. Learn How to Source Korean Keywords Use the Naver keywords for different businesses and hashtags you find in Instagram to expand your searching abilities. Some businesses have entered keywords in Naver and you can find them on the Info page. The image below shows you this. Learn to Read Hangeul Even knowing how to read Hangul can significantly improve your user experience. You can learn to read Hangeul pretty quickly through YouTube videos and other online resources. Using English Language Naver Maps By combining these strategies with careful use of the English interface, you can navigate the challenges of Naver Maps more effectively while living or traveling in South Korea. South of SeoulFounded in 2015, the South of Seoul team consists of volunteers on three continents working together to support English-speaking people traveling or living in South Korea. South of Seoul volunteers work with organizations and individuals across South Korea to improve equitable access to information across South Korea. Much of South of Seoul’s information focuses on Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Blogs published under the authorship of “South of Seoul” include blogs compiled by multiple volunteers to improve access to standardized information unrelated to individualized personal experiences. www.southofseoul.net