Seoul, June 07 (QNA) – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has nominated Han Seong-sook, the incumbent minister of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as the next prime minister, a senior presidential official said Sunday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the current Prime Minister Kim Min-seok is stepping down reportedly to run for the leadership of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) at its convention in August or September.
If confirmed by the National Assembly, Han would become the Lee government’s first female prime minister and South Korea’s second female prime minister since Han Myeong-sook, who served in the post from 2006-2007.
Han, a former chief executive of online portal giant Naver who spent most of her career in the internet industry, took up her current post upon the inauguration of the Lee administration.
Announcing the nomination, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik described Han as someone capable of “flawlessly attaining the epochal transition to artificial intelligence and spearheading South Korea’s growth for all” based on her experience.
The reshuffle comes as the Lee administration marked its first year in office following the president’s inauguration on June 4 last year. (QNA)