The former Chief Executive of Naver, a company often described as ‘the Google’ of South Korea, is set to become the country’s first female prime minister in two decades, after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung nominated Han Seong Sook to take the role.
Han Seong Sook is currently South Korea’s minister for small and midsize businesses and startups. She’s been in politics for just two years, but her considerable tech experience (following a career that began in tech journalism) appears to be behind the appointment, aligning with the president’s focus on AI innovation.
Once her appointment is approved by the national assembly, Han will assume her title, which is considered mostly ceremonial and administrative under South Korea’s presidential system.
The presidential office announced on Sunday that the 58-year-old is expected to lead the country’s AI transformation, demonstrating President Lee’s focus on boosting the nation’s digital innovation and ensuring its benefits extend across all industries.
South Korea’s presidential chief of staff, Kang Hoon-sik, said at a press briefing: “Han will be able to transform South Korea’s economic growth — driven by the semiconductor boom and rising exports — into inclusive growth that reaches everyone, including small and medium-sized enterprises.”
“[Lee has] judged nominee Han to be the right person to take responsibility for growth and people’s livelihoods at a time when the country faces a major strategic transition driven by AI innovation and complex global crises,” Kang said.
He also described Han as “an inspirational leader who began her career as an ordinary office worker and rose to lead one of the country’s premier digital companies.”
The ruling Democratic Party welcomed Han’s nomination, saying she would advance the government’s AI agenda by extending the benefits of an export-driven boom to small businesses and local merchants.
Han began her working life as a technology reporter before entering the tech sector at Empas, a startup search site. She then held senior positions at Naver before becoming its first female CEO and president in 2017. In 2021, she was named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women International.
Under her leadership, Naver grew from a search engine-focused company to one encompassing a range of services, including AI, e-commerce, shopping, and entertainment. Its cloud division recently outline a goal of making the company the country’s only provider of full-stack AI capabilities, encompassing every layer of the technology stack—from infrastructure and models to end-user services. It is part of a government-selected consortium tasked with developing an independent AI foundation model to deliver widely accessible AI services to the public.
In 2024, Han left the company to embark on a political career. If her role is endorsed by the national assembly, she will become the first woman to hold the post since Han Myeong Sook served as former Prime Minister under President Roh Moon Hyun almost twenty years ago.