Lee Jaemyung Administration Ushers in 'Naver Era' with Consecutive Appointments of AI Chief and SMEs Minister

Han Seongsuk, Former Naver CEO, Nominated as Minister of SMEs and Startups
Second Naver Executive Appointed After Ha Jungwoo as Chief of AI Future Planning

Since the launch of the new administration, there has been a series of appointments of former Naver personnel to key government positions. Following the surprise selection of Ha Jungwoo, Head of the AI Innovation Center at Naver Cloud, as the newly established Chief of AI Future Planning at the Presidential Office, Han Seongsuk, former CEO of Naver, has been nominated as the Minister of SMEs and Startups.

As private sector figures from companies such as Naver are being appointed to the forefront to foster the artificial intelligence (AI) industry?a core pledge of President Lee Jaemyung's presidential campaign?expectations for public-private cooperation are rising. However, some observers predict that certain companies may benefit from these appointments.

On the afternoon of June 23, Kang Hunsik, Chief Presidential Secretary, announced during a briefing that Han Seongsuk, an advisor at Naver, has been nominated as the first Minister of SMEs and Startups in the Lee Jaemyung administration.

Han Seongsuk, then CEO of Naver, is delivering the keynote speech at 'NAVER CONNECT 2019' held on October 10, 2018, at the Grand Intercontinental Parnas in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

Han, who was unexpectedly nominated on this day, was born in Gyeonggi Province and graduated from Sookmyung Women's University in 1989 with a degree in English Language and Literature. After working as a journalist for the computer magazine 'Mincom,' she joined Empas as a founding member in 1997, where she served as Head of the Search Business Division. She moved to Naver in 2007, where she held positions as Director of the Search Quality Center and Executive Director of Naver Services, before becoming CEO of Naver in 2017. She stepped down as CEO in March 2022 to take on the role of Head of European Business Development, and in March of this year, she became an advisor at Naver.

Han Seongsuk Broke the Glass Ceiling in IT... Expanded Business for SMEs

Han was recognized for breaking the glass ceiling in the IT industry by becoming the first female CEO among major domestic IT companies at the time. During her tenure as CEO, she was credited with expanding Naver's business beyond its traditional focus on portal and search services, growing into areas such as commerce, content, and tech-fin, thereby increasing the company's overall scale. In particular, by strengthening the commerce business, she laid the foundation for Naver to become competitive in the e-commerce market.

The background to Han's nomination as Minister of SMEs and Startups includes the 'Project Flower' campaign she promoted while serving as CEO of Naver. Project Flower is a Naver program that supports the business expansion and overseas advancement of small and medium-sized enterprises both online and offline. An industry insider commented, "Through Project Flower, Han contributed to the growth of SMEs and the establishment of a mutually beneficial ecosystem."

Ha Jungwoo, Chief of AI Future Planning, is giving a briefing on the Special Act on Science and Engineering at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 19th. Photo by Yonhap News

Prior to Han's nomination, Ha Jungwoo, Head of the AI Innovation Center at Naver Cloud, was appointed as the Chief of AI Future Planning at the Presidential Office, a newly created position in the current administration. Born in 1977, Ha is the youngest chief in the current administration. He joined Naver Labs in 2015 and began AI research, and since October 2020, he has led mid- to long-term advanced AI technology research as head of the Naver AI Lab.

Ha has consistently emphasized the need for Korea to secure its own AI models and talent?what he calls "sovereign AI"?in a global AI market dominated by big tech companies such as OpenAI and Google. He contributed to the launch of Naver's Korean language-specialized large language model (LLM), HyperCLOVA X. The industry expects that, with his appointment, the voice of the private sector will be more strongly reflected in policy.

Presidential Office: "We Must Discard the Notion of Favoring Specific Companies"

A Presidential Office official explained the recent personnel policy by stating, "The active recruitment of individuals from the private sector is an extraordinary measure to break down barriers between the public and private sectors and to revive the Korean economy." Addressing concerns that, following Ha's appointment, another Naver-related figure has been selected as Minister of SMEs and Startups, the official said, "Only by discarding the notion that specific companies or sectors are being favored can we pull the Korean economy out of its complex crisis," adding, "We urgently need to find people who can break down barriers between the public and private sectors and open a new era."

In addition, on this day, Bae Kyunghoon, Head of LG AI Research Institute, was nominated as Minister of Science and ICT. Born in 1976, Bae will lead science and technology policy alongside Chief Ha. Kang, the Chief Presidential Secretary, said, "Bae is both an AI scholar and entrepreneur who was awarded the Silver Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit for achievements such as the commercialization of large-scale AI," adding, "He is a highly sought-after expert who will work with Chief Ha to enhance Korea's national AI competitiveness and help Korea become a top-three AI powerhouse."

Yoon Changryeol, Head of Global Strategy Development at LG, was appointed as the new Minister-level Chief of the Office for Government Policy Coordination. Having built his career in the Prime Minister's Office, he served as Senior Secretary for Social Affairs in the Blue House during the Moon Jaein administration.