Prime minister nominee reports for first day at FSS training center after designation
Prime minister nominee Han Sung-sook said Monday that if confirmed, she would devote all her efforts to resolving the urgent economic hardships facing ordinary citizens.
Han made the remarks on her first day at the confirmation hearing preparation office set up at the Financial Supervisory Service training center in Jongno-gu, Seoul. "I feel an enormous sense of responsibility at being nominated as prime minister candidate at this pivotal moment as the government enters its second year," she said. She added that Prime Minister Kim Min-seok had served as a pillar of democratic recovery and national normalization in the year following the insurrection, and that she felt a weighty duty to carry that work forward.
"In the second year, I believe we must build on the policy achievements of the past year and spread tangible, visible change — change that people can actually feel — more quickly and broadly," she said.
She went on to say she would push hard on the AI transformation and accelerate innovation amid the global industrial reshaping driven by artificial intelligence. "The fruits of that transformation must lead to opportunity and growth for all people of the Republic of Korea — a structural shift I am committed to pursuing with a sense of mission and with everything I have," she said.
She pledged to listen to voices from all walks of life and work to untangle social conflicts. "I will communicate sincerely with the National Assembly, lead close cooperation among ministries, and always approach my work with humility for a Korea where everyone prospers together," she said, adding that she would approach the Assembly's confirmation hearing with sincerity and a humble attitude.
Han, a former CEO of Naver, was appointed minister of SMEs and Startups in June last year and was nominated as prime minister roughly a year later. If she clears the National Assembly confirmation hearing and is appointed, she would become South Korea's second female prime minister in 20 years, following Han Myeong-sook, who served under President Roh Moo-hyun.
A graduate of Sookmyung Women's University with a degree in English literature, Han began her career as a reporter for an IT trade publication before joining Naver, where she rose to executive vice president of services and became the company's first female CEO. As minister of SMEs and Startups, she championed "Modu's Startup," a youth entrepreneurship support program, and was credited with delivering results in support for small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners.
Political observers inside and outside the ruling camp widely view President Lee Jae-myung's choice of a business executive with extensive hands-on experience as a signal that he intends to accelerate AI industry development and innovation-led growth as his administration enters its second year.
oskymoon@heraldcorp.com
