KOREA WHO
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Prime Minister nominee of the Republic of Korea
Han Seong-sook
From Naver's First Female CEO to AI Reform Leader
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Last Updated on Jun 18, 2026
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Prime Minister nominee of the Republic of Korea
Life Summary
Han Seong-sook is the nominee for Prime Minister in the Lee Jae-myung administration.
She was born on June 20, 1967, in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province.
She graduated from Uijeongbu Girls' High School and earned a bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature from Sookmyung Women's University.
She began her professional career as a reporter for Mincom, a computer magazine. She later served as head of the public relations team at Nanum Technology.
She joined search portal Empas as a founding member and served as head of its Search Business Division.
After Empas was acquired by SK Communications, she moved to NHN, the predecessor of Naver, where she worked as head of the Search Quality Center, head of Service Division 1, and executive director overseeing services.
In 2017, she was appointed CEO of NHN.
Following the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration, she was appointed as the first Minister of SMEs and Startups.
At the time, she held assets worth KRW 44.0 billion (US$ 31.7 million), making her the wealthiest ministerial nominee in the Lee Jae-myung administration.
In June 2026, following Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, President Lee Jae-myung nominated her as the candidate for prime minister, and she is now preparing for a National Assembly confirmation hearing.
#HanSeong-sook #LeeJaeMyung #PrimeMinisterNominee #SouthKoreaPolitics #Naver #NHN #MinisterOfSMEsAndStartups #Empas #KoreanGovernment #TechIndustryLeader
She was born on June 20, 1967, in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province.
She graduated from Uijeongbu Girls' High School and earned a bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature from Sookmyung Women's University.
She began her professional career as a reporter for Mincom, a computer magazine. She later served as head of the public relations team at Nanum Technology.
She joined search portal Empas as a founding member and served as head of its Search Business Division.
After Empas was acquired by SK Communications, she moved to NHN, the predecessor of Naver, where she worked as head of the Search Quality Center, head of Service Division 1, and executive director overseeing services.
In 2017, she was appointed CEO of NHN.
Following the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration, she was appointed as the first Minister of SMEs and Startups.
At the time, she held assets worth KRW 44.0 billion (US$ 31.7 million), making her the wealthiest ministerial nominee in the Lee Jae-myung administration.
In June 2026, following Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, President Lee Jae-myung nominated her as the candidate for prime minister, and she is now preparing for a National Assembly confirmation hearing.
#HanSeong-sook #LeeJaeMyung #PrimeMinisterNominee #SouthKoreaPolitics #Naver #NHN #MinisterOfSMEsAndStartups #Empas #KoreanGovernment #TechIndustryLeader