The Korea Times

SMEs Minister Han Seong-sook tapped as new PM

President Lee Jae Myung nominated Han Seong-sook, the current minister of small and medium-sized enterprises and startups and a former Naver chief executive, to serve as Korea’s next prime minister. The nomination places one of the country’s most prominent tech executives at the center of the Lee administration’s efforts to promote innovation-led growth and accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across the economy. Before entering government, Han built her career in the tech sector. Born in 1967, Han graduated from Sookmyung Women's University with a degree in English language and literature and began her career as a journalist for an IT publication. She joined portal site Empas as a founding member in 1997. She went on to hold a series of leadership positions at NHN and Naver — including head of the search business division and head of Naver's service division — before becoming Naver's first female CEO in 2017. During her five years at the helm, Han is credited with driving the company’s growth by expanding Naver’s business beyond its traditional search e