Naver Star Rating Review Revived After 5 Years: Small Business Concerns and Countermeasures

Naver has reintroduced its Place star rating system in July 2026, about 5 years after its abolition in 2021. While the intuitive 5-point system enhances consumer convenience, it has reignited concerns among small business owners regarding 'malicious star rating terrorism.'

Background of the Revival and Market Reaction

The new system allows users to leave a 5-point star rating in addition to the existing keyword-based reviews. Consumers are generally responding positively, noting that the intuitive evaluation metric makes it easier to compare businesses.

Conversely, small business owners and related associations are strongly protesting. Although Naver has provided an option for business owners to toggle the display of their average star rating via Smart Place, individual star ratings left by consumers cannot be hidden. Concerns are mounting over the potential for excessive promotional events to manage ratings and the resulting increase in marketing costs.

AI Monitoring to Prevent Malicious Reviews

To prevent the negative side effects seen in the past, Naver has implemented robust defensive measures. An AI-based automatic detection system will monitor and block abusive behaviors, such as indiscriminately leaving ratings below 3 stars without rational grounds. Furthermore, the policy has been updated so that ratings and review contents can only be edited within 3 months of posting, restricting malicious post-evaluation alterations.

FAQ: Key Questions on Naver's Star Rating Revival

Q1. Can I turn off the average star rating display?

Yes. Business owners can choose to toggle the overall average star rating display on or off through their management page. However, individual review ratings cannot be hidden.

Q2. How is past review data reflected in the new average?

The average star rating is calculated by combining accumulated data from before 2021 with the newly collected data from this year.

Q3. What are the remedies for malicious rating terrorism?

Naver's AI system primarily detects anomalous reviews. Business owners can also directly report false or malicious defamatory reviews, which may be blinded following an internal review process.