Han Seong-sook, incumbent minister of SMEs and startups and nominee for prime minister (Cheong Wa Dae) President Lee Jae Myung nominated Minister of SMEs and Startups Han Seong-sook to be the country's next prime minister, a senior presidential official said Sunday, putting South Korea on track to appoint its first female premier in nearly two decades and only the second woman ever to hold the office.If approved by the National Assembly, Han, 59, would become the country's second female prime minister, following Han Myeong-sook, who served from 2006 to 2007.The nomination comes as current Prime Minister Kim Min-seok is expected to step down to run for the leadership of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea at its convention later this year.Announcing the nomination at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said Lee selected Han because of her experience in both the technology sector and government, arguing she is well positioned to lead South Korea through an era of rapid artificial intelligence transformation."Based on her experience as the CEO of an IT company and as the SMEs minister, she is expected to successfully accomplish the era-defining task of the AI transition and lead growth for all Koreans, not just a segment of society," Kang said.He described Han as "an inspirational leader who began her career as an ordinary office worker and rose to lead one of the country's premier digital companies."According to political sources, Lee had narrowed his shortlist for the premiership to three candidates, including Han, Kang and Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho.Kang emphasized Han's combination of private-sector experience and public service, saying she possesses both "practical expertise from the private sector with a spirit of innovation" and understands "better than anyone the need for an AI-driven transformation of our society."He also pointed to her record as SMEs minister, where she emphasized "speed, results and field-oriented administration" while overseeing policies for small and medium-sized enterprises, startups and small business owners."As a result, the ministry achieved its highest-ever export performance and produced tangible results, including revitalizing the startup ecosystem," Kang said.He added that Han's innovative leadership and ministerial experience could help ensure that economic gains driven by the semiconductor industry and rising exports translate into broader growth benefiting SMEs, small merchants and local commercial districts.Han is one of South Korea's best-known figures in the information technology industry and played a key role in the growth of Naver, the country's largest internet portal.After graduating from Sookmyung Women's University, she began her career as a technology reporter before joining Empas, one of South Korea's early internet portal companies, where she headed its search business.She joined NHN, now Naver, in 2007 and held several senior positions, including search quality director and general service director. In 2017, she became the company's first female chief executive officer, leading the internet giant through a period of expansion in artificial intelligence and digital services.After stepping down as CEO in 2022, Han led Naver's European business development before serving as an adviser to the company and chair of the Korea Internet Enterprise Association. She later entered government as minister of SMEs and Startups, where she launched the "Startup for Everyone Project" and sought to shift the ministry's policy focus from protection and support toward growth and expansion.