Han Seong-sook
Prime Minister of South Korea since 2026
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Han Seong-sook (Korean: 한성숙; born 20 June 1967) is a South Korean businesswoman and politician[1] who has served as the prime minister of South Korea since 2026.[2] She was previously the chief executive officer (CEO) of Naver Corporation from 2017 to 2021 and served as the minister of SMEs and startups from 2025 to 2026. She is the first woman to hold the position since Han Myeong-sook in 2006, 20 years ago.
Han Seong-sook | |
|---|---|
Han in 2026 | |
| 50th Prime Minister of South Korea | |
| Assumed office 1 July 2026 | |
| President | Lee Jae Myung |
| Deputy | |
| Preceded by | Kim Min-seok |
| Minister of SMEs and Startups | |
| In office 23 July 2025 – 30 June 2026 | |
| President | Lee Jae Myung |
| Prime Minister | Kim Min-seok |
| Preceded by | Oh Young-ju |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 June 1967 Gyeonggi Province, South Korea |
| Education | Sookmyung Women's University (BA) |
| Occupation | Business executive |
Known for | Former CEO of Naver Corporation |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 한성숙 |
| Hanja | 韓聖淑 |
| RR | Han Seongsuk |
| MR | Han Sŏngsuk |
Early life and education
Han Seong-sook was born on 20 June 1967 in Gyeonggi Province. She received a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from Sookmyung Women's University in 1989.[3]
Career
Early career
In 1989, Han began working as a reporter at Mincom. She later reported for PC Line. In 1995, she led public relations for Nanum Technology.[4][1][3]
Naver
In 1997, Han was a founding member of Empas,[4] one of South Korea's most popular search engines in the early 2000s, and led its search business.[5] After Empas was sold to SK Communications in 2007,[6] Han began to serve in executive roles at Naver under its original incarnation as NHN Corporation.[3]
In 2017, Han, a Vice President at the time,[7] became CEO of Naver Corporation after Kim Sang-hun stepped down from the role. As the company's first female CEO, Han lead the development of Naver Pay and V Live and Naver's acquisition of Wattpad.[8][9]
In 2021, Han stepped down as CEO after a Naver employee committed suicide, citing workplace bullying as the motive,[5][10] and was replaced by Choi Soo-yeon.[11] Han later led Naver's expansion in Europe.[12]
Lee Jae Myung government
On 7 June 2026, President Lee Jae Myung nominated Han to succeed Kim Min-seok as Prime Minister.[13] Preparation for her confirmation hearing began on 8 June.[14] The two-day confirmation hearing was held on 25 and 26 June.[15]
On 30 June 2026, Han was confirmed as prime minister by the National Assembly, with 166 vote in favor and one invalid vote. The People Power Party boycotted the vote.[16] She became the second female prime minister in South Korean history, following Han Myeong-sook, who served as Prime Minister from 2006 to 2007.[17] She is also the first business executive to assume the position of prime minister.[18] Her term as prime minister began on 1 July 2026, following the approval of National Assembly's appointment by President Lee.[19]