SME Community: "Hansung Sook, the Right Person to Build a Digital Ecosystem as Minister Nominee"

"We Hope for Solutions to On-Site Challenges Through Close Communication"

The Korea Federation of SMEs stated in a commentary on June 23, "We welcome the nomination of Hansung Sook as the first Minister of SMEs and Startups in the Lee Jaemyung administration."

The Federation added, "Hansung Sook is a business leader with extensive experience in the IT industry, including Naver, and we believe she is the right person to build a digital ecosystem by promoting AI and digital transformation for SMEs and small business owners during this period of major industrial transition."

Hansung Sook, nominee for Minister of SMEs and Startups. Naver

The Federation continued, "Currently, SMEs are facing numerous challenges, including sluggish domestic demand, tariff wars, and labor shortages caused by a declining working-age population." They added, "If Hansung Sook is appointed as Minister of SMEs and Startups after the National Assembly confirmation hearing, we hope she will address the various difficulties faced in the field through close communication with the SME community."

Hansung Sook graduated from the Department of English Language and Literature at Sookmyung Women's University in 1989 and began her career as a reporter at the computer magazine Mincom. She then served as PR team leader at Nanum Technology and joined Empas as a founding member in 1997, where, as head of the search business division, she introduced Korea's first 'open search' service that allowed users to search materials from other portal sites.

In 2007, she moved to NHN, the predecessor of Naver, where she served as Head of Service Division 1 and Executive Director of Services, playing a leading role in Naver's growth. She was recognized for her achievements, including pioneering partial monetization of webtoons in the industry and launching Naver Pay, a simple payment service, and in 2017, she became the first woman to be appointed as CEO. After serving as CEO for five years until 2022, she became Head of European Business Development, and since this year, she has been working as an advisor.