These are the titles often associated with Han Seong-sook, Minister of SMEs and Startups. If Minister Han, who has been nominated as Prime Minister by the Lee Jae-myung administration, is confirmed by the National Assembly, she will become the first female Prime Minister in 20 years since former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook in 2006, and the first Prime Minister in the history of the Republic of Korea to have a background in the IT industry.
With Han’s nomination, the so-called “Naver line”—a group of Naver alumni occupying key positions in the new administration—is also drawing attention. As Han joins Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young and Ha Jung-woo, the inaugural Senior Secretary for AI Future Planning at the Presidential Office, at the forefront of state affairs, Naver (#NAVER) is emerging as the primary source of talent for the new government’s AI and digital policies.
This aligns with the “pragmatic personnel appointments” championed by the Lee Jae-myung administration. The vision is to secure growth momentum by placing experts who have achieved results in the actual industry at the forefront, rather than those from political or bureaucratic backgrounds. In particular, as AI has been positioned as the core of the national growth strategy, private-sector experts with direct experience in technology and platform industries are being heavily relied upon, according to analysis.
There have been cases in the past where figures from IT companies entered the government. Notable examples include Kim Cheol-gyun, Secretary for New Media under the Lee Myung-bak administration, and Jeong Hye-seung, Secretary for New Media, and Yoon Young-chan, Senior Secretary for Public Communication, under the Moon Jae-in administration. However, their roles were largely limited to “message management,” such as public communication, online publicity, and new media strategy.
In contrast, the IT appointees in the Lee Jae-myung administration are of a different caliber. Rather than serving as mere public relations advisors, they have moved into positions responsible for designing and executing core national policy agendas, such as the national AI strategy, industrial innovation, and content and platform policies. Former Senior Secretary Ha previously headed the Presidential Office’s AI policy control tower, while Minister Choi oversees content and platform policies. With the addition of nominee Han, figures from Naver have come to form the core pillar of AI and digital policy.
Industry observers assess that this trend reflects a shift in the government’s ideal candidate profile. Whereas figures from internet companies previously served as the government’s “online window,” talent with hands-on experience in building and operating technology and digital platform ecosystems has now moved into positions where they design national growth strategies.
In particular, there is analysis suggesting that Naver’s experience in platform operations is highly valued. While Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix possess competitiveness in hardware sectors such as semiconductors, Naver has experience in commercializing AI technology by connecting it to actual services and business models. It is assessed that talent with experience across the entire AI value chain—from data and cloud to platform operations and user touchpoints—is well-suited to driving the government’s AI policies.
The “AI for All” principle championed by the Lee Jae-myung administration is also linked to these appointments. This is because spreading AI across society—including administration, education, small and medium-sized enterprises, and small business owners—rather than confining it to technological competition among specific conglomerates requires not only technology development but also experience in service expansion and ecosystem management. The IT industry views this as a signal that the government intends to transplant the “Pangyo-style innovation culture”—which involves rapid execution and adaptation to market changes—across all areas of state governance.
Experts assess this appointment as a symbolic example that simultaneously demonstrates an AI-centered national strategy and a pragmatic approach. Kim Sang-bae, a professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Seoul National University, said, “This appointment aligns well with the government’s future-oriented policy direction aimed at propelling the country into the top three in AI.” Choi Seong-jin, CEO of the Startup Growth Institute, commented, “It is a natural trend for talent who have achieved results at innovative companies to take on roles in public office.”
However, there are also concerns about the concentration of officials from specific companies in key government positions. Ahn Jeong-sang, an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Communication at Chung-Ang University, pointed out, “The position of Prime Minister requires inter-ministerial coordination and management skills more than expertise in a specific field,” adding, “While incorporating private-sector innovation experience into governance, policy balance must be secured through consultation with diverse groups of experts.”
