Daum, a leading portal service in South Korea, has reintroduced its 'Real-Time Trends' service, six years after it was discontinued in February 2020. The service allows users to quickly identify what is currently trending. The decision to reinstate this feature stems from a demand for real-time information regarding current events, as explained by its subsidiary, AXZ, which operates Daum. They have acknowledged a need among users to remain updated on the important issues of the day, while asserting that the service is now equipped to better handle the intricacies involved in trending topics.

The original discontinuation of the real-time search service was primarily due to its misuse as a tool for orchestrating public opinion. Instances where specific issues were artificially boosted in online discussions were prevalent, causing the service to lose its intended purpose. At that time, leaders of Kakao—the parent company of Daum—expressed concerns that the service had turned from a reflection of public interest to a catalyst for these trends. In response to these past issues, AXZ has implemented measures to prevent future manipulations, including an analysis of user search history alongside news data to derive trends that accurately reflect genuine public interests.

Furthermore, the company has established defensive systems to filter out irregular patterns such as repeated searches or automated bot activity, aiming to maintain the integrity of the trends. In light of potential sensitivities regarding elections, AXZ has also taken precautions to exclude certain keywords associated with candidates during designated periods of election moratoriums as stipulated by the Public Official Election Act. In contrast, Naver has clarified that it does not plan to reintroduce a similar real-time keyword service, highlighting differing strategies among the major Korean portal services.