<s>
Empas	B-Protocol
(	O
hangul	B-Operating_System
:	O
엠파스	B-Protocol
)	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
popular	O
total	O
internet	B-Application
search	I-Application
tools	O
and	O
web	O
portal	O
sites	O
in	O
South	O
Korea	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
was	O
launched	O
in	O
1998	O
by	O
Knowledge	O
Plant	O
Corporation	O
(	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
changed	O
its	O
name	O
to	O
Empas	B-Protocol
Corporation	O
in	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	O
Empas	B-Protocol
is	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
e-media	O
and	O
compass	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
its	O
merger	O
with	O
Nate	B-Protocol
in	O
2009	O
,	O
Empas	B-Protocol
was	O
one	O
of	O
South	O
Korea	O
's	O
most	O
popular	O
web	B-Application
search	I-Application
engines	I-Application
,	O
and	O
competed	O
with	O
Yahoo	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
Korea	O
,	O
Daum	O
,	O
Nate	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
Naver	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Empas	B-Protocol
was	O
the	O
second	O
most	O
popular	O
web	O
portal	O
in	O
the	O
country	O
from	O
2000	O
to	O
2001	O
,	O
by	O
unique	O
page	O
view	O
,	O
behind	O
Yahoo	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
dominance	O
of	O
Naver	B-Protocol
started	O
in	O
2003	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
market	O
share	O
of	O
Empas	B-Protocol
declined	O
,	O
and	O
by	O
late	O
2005	O
,	O
it	O
had	O
fallen	O
into	O
the	O
fifth	O
place	O
amongst	O
the	O
South	O
Korean	O
web	O
portals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2006	O
,	O
aiming	O
to	O
check	O
its	O
main	O
competition	O
Naver	B-Protocol
's	O
rapid	O
expansion	O
,	O
SK	O
Communications	O
(	O
which	O
owned	O
South	O
Korea	O
's	O
popular	O
social	O
networking	O
website	O
Cyworld	O
)	O
acquired	O
Empas	B-Protocol
on	O
19	O
October	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
reorganisation	O
of	O
SK	O
Communications	O
's	O
business	O
fields	O
,	O
Empas	B-Protocol
was	O
merged	O
with	O
Nate.com,	O
which	O
was	O
the	O
original	O
web	O
portal	O
of	O
SK	O
Communications	O
,	O
and	O
became	O
Nate	B-Protocol
on	O
1	O
March	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
