Is Line on BDS List?

History of Line

LINE is a messaging app developed by the Japanese subsidiary of the South Korean company Naver Corporation. It was launched in June 2011 as a response to the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which had severely damaged Japan’s communication infrastructure. To provide an alternative means of communication, Naver engineers quickly developed LINE, allowing users to send messages and make calls over the internet. The app gained massive popularity in Japan and soon expanded to other countries, becoming one of the most widely used messaging apps in Asia.

Over time, LINE evolved into a multi-functional platform, offering features beyond messaging, such as LINE Pay for digital payments, LINE Games, and LINE Webtoon. It also introduced stickers, which became a key part of its identity, generating significant revenue. LINE went public in 2016, listing on both the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. In 2021, it merged with Yahoo! Japan under Z Holdings, a subsidiary of SoftBank, to strengthen its position in the digital services industry. Today, LINE continues to be a dominant communication platform in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia.