President Lee Nominates Han Sung-sook as Next Prime Minister

President Lee Jae-myung has nominated Han Sung-sook, the current minister of SMEs and Startups, to succeed Kim Min-seok as prime minister. The announcement came from Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik during a briefing at the Blue House.

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Based on her experience as an IT company CEO and minister of SMEs and Startups, she is expected to flawlessly complete the era's task of AI transformation and lead the growth of all of Korea, not just a portion of the public.

Kang highlighted Han's experience as an IT company CEO and minister, stating she is well-suited to manage the nation's AI transition and ensure growth benefits all Koreans, not just a select few. He described her as an inspirational leader who rose from a regular employee to head a major digital company. Kang believes Han's innovation, ministerial experience, and the opportunity to serve as prime minister will help transform economic growth, driven by semiconductor booms and export increases, into broader prosperity for small and medium-sized businesses, small business owners, and local economies.

If confirmed, Han would be the second woman to hold the prime minister's office in South Korea, 20 years after Han Myeong-sook served from 2006. Han Sung-sook's career includes roles as a computer magazine reporter and a founding member of Empas. She later joined NHN, the predecessor to Naver, in 2007, eventually becoming its chief operating officer. She is credited with pioneering the partial paid model for webtoons and launching the Naver Pay service. In 2017, she made history as the first woman to become CEO of Naver, a position she held for five years until 2022.

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Minister Han is an inspirational leader who started as an ordinary office worker and rose to the top of a leading digital company.

The prime minister nominee must undergo a parliamentary confirmation hearing and a final vote in the National Assembly. Meanwhile, the outgoing Prime Minister Kim Min-seok plans to run in the Democratic Party's national convention in August.

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If Minister Han's innovation, experience as minister of SMEs and Startups, and the opportunity as prime minister are combined, she can transform the growth of the Korean economy, driven by the semiconductor boom and increased exports, into growth for all citizens, including SMEs, small business owners, and local commercial districts.