Han Seong-sook
South Korean businesswoman (born 1967)
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Han Seong-sook (Korean: 한성숙; born 20 June 1967) is a South Korean business executive and former journalist[1] who has served as the minister of SMEs and startups since 2025. She was previously the chief executive officer (CEO) of Naver Corporation from 2017 to 2021.
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Han Seong-sook | |
|---|---|
한성숙 | |
Han in 2025 | |
| Prime Minister-designate of South Korea | |
| Assuming office TBD | |
| President | Lee Jae Myung |
| Succeeding | Kim Min-seok |
| Minister of SMEs and Startups | |
| Assumed office 23 July 2025 | |
| 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 |
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.[2]
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.[3][1][2]
Naver
In 1997, Han was a founding member of Empas,[3] one of South Korea's most popular search engines in the early 2000s, and led its search business.[4] After Empas was sold to SK Communications in 2007,[5] Han began to serve in executive roles at Naver under its original incarnation as NHN Corporation.[2]
In 2017, Han, a Vice President at the time,[6] 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.[7][8]
In 2021, Han stepped down as CEO after a Naver employee committed suicide, citing workplace bullying as the motive,[4][9] and was replaced by Choi Soo-yeon.[10] Han later led Naver's expansion in Europe.[11]
Lee Jae Myung government
On 7 June 2026, President Lee Jae Myung nominated the incumbent Minister of SME and Startups Han Seong-sook, who hold the office since July 2025, becoming the next Prime Minister succeeding Kim Min-seok, who will run the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea for the upcoming party convention following the appointment of new Prime Minister.[12] If the nomination approved by the National Assembly, she will become the second female Prime Minister in South Korean history, following Han Myeong-sook, who served as Prime Minister during tenure of President Roh Moo-hyun from 2006 to 2007.[13]