Former Naver CEO Han Seong-sook Becomes South Korea’s Second Female Prime Minister, Pledges AI-Led Economic Transformation

Han Seong-sook is a first-generation leader in South Korea’s internet industry. She served as Naver’s first female CEO from 2017 to 2022 and became minister of SMEs and startups in 2025. The Lee Jae-myung administration plans to invest 10 trillion won in AI through the National Growth Fund in 2026, making her corporate and policy experience crucial to coordinating investment, regulatory reform and industrial transformation.

Lee nominated Han on June 7. After parliamentary hearings on June 25 and 26, the National Assembly approved her appointment on June 30 by 166 votes, with one invalid ballot, as the main opposition People Power Party boycotted the vote. She took office as South Korea’s 50th prime minister on July 1, becoming the country’s second female premier after Han Myeong-sook in 2006. She also pledged to expand an AI system being piloted by four ministries to all central government agencies by year-end.