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Han Seong-sook

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In this Korean name, the family name is Han.
Han Seong-sook
한성숙
Minister of SMEs and Startups
Incumbent
Assumed office
23 July 2025
PresidentLee Jae-myung
Prime MinisterKim Min-seok
Preceded byOh Young-ju
Personal details
Born (1967-06-20) 20 June 1967 (age 58)
Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
EducationSookmyung Women's University (BA)
OccupationBusiness executive
Known forFormer CEO of Naver Corporation

Han Seong-sook (Korean: 한성숙; born 20 June 1967) is a South Korean business executive and former journalist[1] who has served as the minister of SMEs and startups since 2025. She was previously the chief executive officer (CEO) of Naver Corporation from 2017 to 2021.

Early life and education

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Han Seong-sook was born on 20 June 1967 in Gyeonggi Province. She received a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from Sookmyung Women's University in 1989.[2]

Career

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Early career

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In 1989, Han began working as a reporter at Mincom. She later reported for PC Line. In 1995, she led public relations for Nanum Technology.[3][1][2]

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In 1997, Han was a founding member of Empas,[3] one of South Korea's most popular search engines in the early 2000s, and led its search business.[4] After Empas was sold to SK Communications in 2007,[5] Han began to serve in executive roles at Naver under its original incarnation as NHN Corporation.[2]

In 2017, Han, a Vice President at the time,[6] became CEO of Naver Corporation after Kim Sang-hun stepped down from the role. As the company's first female CEO, Han lead the development of Naver Pay and V Live and Naver's acquisition of Wattpad.[7][8]

In 2021, Han stepped down as CEO after a Naver employee committed suicide, citing workplace bullying as the motive,[4][9] and was replaced by Choi Soo-yeon.[10] Han later led Naver's expansion in Europe.[11]

Recognition

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From 2017 to 2021, Fortune included Han on its "Most Powerful Women International" list.[12][13][4] In 2018, Han was listed on Forbes' "The Emergent 25 Asia's Latest Star Businesswomen" list.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b 이규연 (27 September 2021). "[Who Is ?] 한성숙 네이버 대표이사". 비즈니스포스트 (in Korean). Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Kim, Young-min. "중앙시사매거진". J Magazine. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  3. ^ a b Ja-young, Yoon (21 October 2016). "Glass ceiling shattered at Naver". The Korea Times. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Lee, Dong-won (4 January 2023). "스카이데일리, '1위 검색엔진 네이버' 한성숙, 유럽사업개발 활로 개척". Skye Daily. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  5. ^ Ramirez, Elaine (18 November 2016). "Women's Entrepreneurship Day: A Look At South Korea's Female Leaders In Tech". Forbes. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  6. ^ "Naver vice president tapped as new chief executive". Yonhap News Agency. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  7. ^ Kim, Jim-hee (22 November 2016). "New Naver chief looks to upgrade technologies". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  8. ^ "Wattpad to be sold to South Korean internet giant for $600M US". CBC. 19 January 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  9. ^ Jung, Da-min (28 May 2021). "Naver employee found dead after suspected workplace bullying". The Korea Times. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  10. ^ Watson, Rana Wehbe (7 November 2022). "Asia's Power Businesswomen 2022". Forbes. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  11. ^ Lim, Young-shin; Hwang, Soon-min; Cho, Jeehyun (17 March 2022). "Naver's ex-CEO Han Seong-sook to command business expansion in Europe". Pulse (in Korean). Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  12. ^ "Han Seong-Sook | 2021 Most Powerful Women International". Fortune. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  13. ^ "Han Seong-Sook". Fortune. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  14. ^ "Han Seong-sook". Forbes. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
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