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NAVER D2SF to Invest in North American Startups, “To Become a Gateway between North America and Asia.”

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Connecting North American Investors and Entrepreneurs, NAVER D2SF to “actively discover North American startups and promote global synergy.”Strengthening support from networking with local investors and entrepreneurs, attracting investment to promoting, “NAVER D2SF will be a bridge between North America and Asia.”

SEONGNAM, South Korea, Oct. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On the 24th (local time), NAVER D2SF held a networking meetup for local investors and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, expressing its ambition to serve as a gateway for startups seeking global market expansion.

Since its launch in 2015, NAVER D2SF has made significant investments in 110 early technology startups, aiming for NAVER’s Corporate Venturing (CV). NAVER D2SF has facilitated connections between approximately 1,700 startups, including its portfolio companies, and various organizations of NAVER. It has created strategic synergy between NAVER and startups by deriving more than 210 agendas for collaboration. In September, NAVER D2SF started to expand its reach into the North American market by investing in two startups based on America: “Claythis,” a 3D-content generation startup, and “YesPlz,” an AI-powered fashion search and recommendation startup.

Through this meetup, NAVER D2SF aims to enhance synergy in NAVER’s global business and technology strategies by discovering and investing in local startups in North America. At the same time, it seeks to establish a network of local companies, investors, and entrepreneurs to serve as a gateway, facilitating the global growth of startups by supporting North American startups’ entry into Asia and Korean startups’ expansion into North America. NAVER D2SF also plans to strengthen support for attracting follow-up investment, as well as global promotion and marketing.

“Amid intensifying global competition in technologies such as AI and robotics, the global market expansion of startups has become essential,” said Yang Sang-hwan, head of NAVER D2SF. “Leveraging NAVER’s global business and technological achievements, we aim to help startups enter the global market and foster synergies between NAVER and startups across borders.”

YJ Park of NAVER D2SF, who leads startup discovery and investment of startups in North America, said, “D2SF has already been engaging with many local startups, and they are showing strong interest in the Asian market.” Park added that the company “will actively invest to any startup interested in the Asian market or capable of creating synergy with NAVER, regardless of nationality or race background – not just Korean startups founded in North America.“

Meanwhile, NAVER D2SF is openly recruiting new investment candidates from both domestic and North American startups through its website, and has also established office hours to facilitate more diverse networking opportunities. 

About NAVER

Founded in 1999, NAVER is Korea’s largest Internet company. It operates No.1 search engine in Korea ‘NAVER’ and the nation’s No.1 e-commerce platform, as well as other global online services such as LINE mobile messenger, Webtoon and Webnovel publishing, SNOW video camera app and ZEPETO metaverse platform.

In addition to its own offerings, NAVER is building a strong global business portfolio through partnerships with industry-leading companies, including Softbank, Poshmark, and Wattpad.

NAVER recorded sales of KRW 9.6 trillion (USD 6.9 billion) in 2023. The company invests approximately 25% of its annual sales on R&D projects, pursuing innovation through continuous research and development of future technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robotics and autonomous driving technologies.

To learn more, visit www.navercorp.com/en 

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SOURCE NAVER

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Melody Party Offers Over 20,000 Songs and Adds More Than a Thousand New Tracks Monthly, Enhancing Its Online Karaoke Experience

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October 27, 2026

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SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Melody Party is a music social app featuring a variety of activities, including Mic Grab, Artist Mafia, and Singing Battle. Through its online karaoke feature, SING A SONG, the app brings the traditional karaoke experience online, removing time and location constraints and offering a music experience that combines real-time singing with social interaction.

SING A SONG features an extensive library of more than 20,000 songs, with over a thousand new songs added every month. Its diverse selection includes popular K-pop tracks, classic Korean songs, and karaoke favorites. The feature offers a free-use model, allowing users to start singing their chosen songs without paying a separate fee. This helps reduce the time and cost associated with visiting traditional coin-operated karaoke venues, making it easier to enjoy singing as part of everyday life.

In terms of functionality, SING A SONG supports pitch adjustment and independent volume controls for vocals and accompaniment, allowing users to customize their singing experience according to their preferences. Users can also create online karaoke rooms, invite friends to sing together in real time, and enjoy voice chat and social interaction.

By continuously expanding its song library and offering diverse music-based interactive experiences, Melody Party continues to strengthen its music ecosystem. Through SING A SONG, the platform aims to create an accessible, highly interactive online music social space.

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SOURCE Melody Party

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Drawing new strength from 20-year legacy, IAACA calls on global counterparts to join annual conference to fortify integrity

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October 27, 2026

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MARRAKECH, Morocco, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA), an independent and non-political anti-corruption organisation with over 190 member anti-corruption authorities (ACAs) worldwide, will co-host IAACA Annual Conference 2026 in Marrakech, Morocco next month together with the Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong, China (ICAC) and the National Authority for Probity, Prevention and Fight Against Corruption of Morocco (INPPLC) to chart a path for the global graft fight and explore cutting-edge approaches to tackle emerging corruption challenges.

Themed “Building on 20 Years of Legacy: Drawing Strength from the Past, Guarding Global Integrity for the Future”, the international event will not only mark the 20th anniversary of the IAACA, but also provide a dynamic forum for IAACA members to exchange insights and enhance co-operation.

Calling on international counterparts to participate in the conference scheduled for November 25, IAACA President Mr Woo Ying-ming, who also serves as ICAC Commissioner, said that “As the IAACA marks its 20th anniversary, the conference will bring together global anti-corruption community at a pivotal moment for collective action. I anticipate that the valuable insights and new approaches generated through the international synergy will chart a resilient strategic path for us to navigate integrity risks and draw strength from our shared legacy to guard global integrity for generations to come.”

During the conference, renowned international experts from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Basel Institute on Governance, the International Anti-Corruption Academy, and global anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies and institutions will shed light on harnessing artificial intelligence in the fight against corruption, safeguarding integrity within global climate and biodiversity frameworks and analysing global corruption measurement and systemic effectiveness.

Following the conference, the ICAC, the INPPLC, the IAACA and the UNODC will co-organise a training seminar on leveraging AI in combating corruption.

While the ICAC and INPPLC will share how AI and new technology can reshape the future of anti-graft enforcement and corruption prevention, the UNODC will provide a global perspective on using AI models in financial crime investigations and addressing the operational relevance, legal robustness and adaptability across jurisdictions.

For details of the conference and training, please visit:
https://www.icac.org.hk/icac/iaaca-morocco-2026/index.html

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SOURCE International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA)

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Viettel moves 100 million subscribers to home-grown cloud-native charging in three months – with zero downtime

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October 27, 2026

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HANOI, Vietnam, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Viettel High Technology Industries Corporation (Viettel High Tech), part of Viettel Group, has migrated more than 100 million subscribers and some 5,000 tariff plans at Viettel, Vietnam’s largest mobile operator, to vOCS 4.0, its in-house cloud-native charging system. The three-month cutover ran on a live national network with no service disruption.

Replacing a charging system is one of the riskiest projects an operator can undertake, which is why many stick with legacy platforms. Viettel High Tech reduced the risk through real-time data synchronization, parallel running and a phased cutover, with instant rollback at every stage.

The project won the Telecom Review Excellence Awards 2026 prize for Best Technology Deployment in Asia, a first for a Vietnamese company.

What it means for operators:

Scale: more than 300,000 transactions per second at latency below 5 milliseconds, across 2G–5G and fixed services on one platformLower cost: up to 50% less hardware investment than the previous generation, by sharing infrastructure with the networkAgility: new tariff plans in hours instead of days, new features three times faster and deployments about 30% fasterResilience: two active data centers about 2,000 km apart and automatic recovery in under two minutes

Viettel High Tech developed every core layer in-house, from a telecom-grade cloud-native platform and NFV-MANO orchestration to real-time charging, subscriber and balance management.

“Passing rigorous tests of real-time self-diagnosis and self-recovery is what allows an operator to keep its promise of 24/7 service to customers,” said Luu Manh Ha, CEO of Viettel Networks, which operates the system on Viettel’s network in Vietnam. “Above all, owning the charging system means an operator is not dependent on foreign vendors – it safeguards digital sovereignty and preserves business flexibility.”

“The charging system is where an operator’s business strategy turns into revenue in real time,” said Nguyen Minh Quang, CEO of Viettel High Tech. “We believe vOCS 4.0 is ready to help operators worldwide capture the value of 5G and digital services.”

In 2017, vOCS 4.0’s predecessor, vOCS 3.0, replaced a foreign vendor’s platform for 90 million Viettel subscribers. Across both generations, vOCS serves more than 220 million subscribers in 11 countries. Viettel High Tech now offers vOCS 4.0 to operators worldwide.

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SOURCE Viettel Group

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