President Lee Nominates Han Seong-sook as Prime Minister Candidate, Marking First Female Prime Minister in 20 Years

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\r\n[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung on the 7th nominated Han Seong-sook, Minister of SMEs and Startups, as the next prime minister candidate. If Han passes the confirmation hearing and is appointed prime minister, she will be the first female prime minister in about 20 years, since former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook took office in 2006. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok is expected to run in the next leadership election for the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).
\r\nKang Hoon-sik, Chief of Staff to the President, said at a briefing at the Chunchugwan Press Center on the same day, "President Lee has nominated Han Seong-sook, Minister of SMEs and Startups, as a candidate for prime minister."
\r\nKang said, "Based on her experience as the head of an IT company and as minister of SMEs and Startups, she is expected to successfully carry out the AI transformation, a task of our time, and to lead growth for all of South Korea, not just a portion of the public." He added, "She is a trailblazing leader who started as an ordinary office worker and rose to head one of the country's leading digital companies. She combines the practicality and innovativeness of the private sector, and she understands better than anyone the need for our society's AI transformation."
\r\nHe continued, "As minister, she has emphasized speed, results, and field-oriented work, and has worked to promote growth for everyone, including small and venture businesses and small business owners." He explained, "As a result, she has delivered tangible achievements such as record-high exports by small and medium-sized enterprises and a revitalized startup ecosystem. If her innovativeness, her experience as minister of SMEs and Startups, and the opportunity to serve as prime minister are combined, she could turn South Korea's growth, driven by the semiconductor boom and rising exports, into growth shared by all citizens, including small and medium-sized enterprises, small business owners, and neighborhood commercial districts."
\r\nHe also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Kim. Kang said, "I deeply thank Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, the first prime minister of the Lee Jae-myung administration, for leading the effort to overcome insurrection and restore South Korea." He added, "Over the past year, the achievements of the Lee Jae-myung administration can, in effect, be called the achievements of Prime Minister Kim." He went on to say, "As the prime minister who opened the first chapter of the government of popular sovereignty, we ask that he also share his experience and insight with his successor."
\r\nIn response to a question about a reorganization of the presidential office, Kang said, "Beyond recovery and normalization, we are now reviewing everything to determine what is needed around the national agenda of a major leap forward. We are also giving considerable thought to the public sentiment shown in this election." He added, "By comprehensively considering what the public expects from the government, what it believes the government is doing well, and what it finds disappointing, I believe we will be able to report back to you and to the public when the time comes."
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cjk@fnnews.com Choi Jong-geun, Seong Seok-woo Reporter