President Lee Jae Myung poses for a commemorative photo after presenting a letter of appointment to Han Seong-sook, the new Minister of SMEs and Startups, at the Office of the President building in Yongsan, Seoul, on July 28 last year. Presidential Office Press Corps

On the 7th, President Lee Jae Myung nominated Han Seong-sook, Minister of SMEs and Startups, as a candidate for prime minister. If Minister Han assumes office after receiving approval by the National Assembly, she will become the second female prime minister in history, following former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, who took office in 2006.

Kang Hoon-sik, Chief of Staff of the Office of the President, held a briefing at the Blue House that day and made the announcement.

Regarding nominee Han, Chief of Staff Kang explained the rationale for the selection, saying, “Based on her experience as the CEO of an IT company and as Minister of SMEs and Startups, she is expected to be the right person to smoothly deliver the sweeping transition to AI (artificial intelligence), a task of our times, and to lead growth for all of the Republic of Korea, not just a portion of the people.”