Naver, the largest Web portal operator in South Korea, said Wednesday it would put in great efforts to transform Gangwon Province into an innovation hub.

Holding an event to mark the 100th day of its Creative Economy and Innovation Center, a start-up incubator, in the province Tuesday, Naver vowed to utilize state-of-the-art information and communications technology to grow small and medium-sized businesses in the region and help local enterprises overcome challenges caused by the geological hurdles of the mountainous area through mobile technology, as well as to tap into global markets.

“Gangwon Province boasts its clean natural environment and meets the requirements needed to grow ecological businesses,” Han Jong-ho, the head of the incubation center, said.

“Naver will try to converge mobile and global business strategies with health care, agricultural and tourism businesses, which the local government aims to nurture.”

In order to support local health care firms in making forays into global markets, the Internet giant will establish a health care data platform to collect and analyze patients’ data for treatment and telemedicine.

Naver will also join hands with trading firms based in the region to expand global sales channels for local agricultural businesses.

In a bid to breathe life into the tourism industry of the Gangwon region, the company will roll out mobile travel applications that will support various languages.

“The provincial government will spare no effort to help transform great ideas into meaningful results, and make the Gangwon region play a core role in the creative economy policy,” Choi Moon-soon, governor of Gangwon Province, said.

Korean conglomerates, including Samsung Group and LG Group, have built 17 start-up incubation centers across the nation, aimed at revitalizing local economies and the nation’s start-up sector.

By Kim Young-won  (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)