Minister Han Seong-sook of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups was nominated as prime minister. Initially, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President Kang Hoon-sik or Minister Jung Sung-ho of the Ministry of Justice was said to be the front-runner, but it appears the decision pivoted to Minister Han at the last minute.
President Lee Jae-myung on the 7th nominated Minister Han to succeed Prime Minister Kim Min-seok. If Minister Han becomes prime minister after a confirmation hearing, she will be the first female prime minister in 20 years since former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook in 2006.
Deputy Minister Kang, who released the prime minister pick that day, said, "We judged nominee Han Seong-sook to be the right person for a national transition period facing AI innovation and a global polycrisis," adding, "As Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), she emphasized speed, the field, and results, producing various achievements, and her reform drive built in the private sector and philosophy of mutual growth that everyone should advance together were also factors (in the selection)." Asked whether her being a woman was considered, he answered, "Our administration's personnel principle is strictly based on capability and competence."
Although Deputy Minister Kang described it as a capability- and competence-based appointment, political interpretations differ. It appears the president weighed a managerial prime minister like nominee Han against a power player prime minister like Deputy Minister Kang or Minister Jung until the last minute.
Until just before the June 3 local elections and by-elections, the situation was simple. In political circles, a plan was seen as likely to nominate a managerial prime minister like nominee Han to serve briefly for about seven to eight months, then have Deputy Minister Kang take the baton.
But the situation changed when the president's preferred candidates—Chong Won-o for Seoul mayor and Ha Jung-woo for National Assembly member in Busan Buk-gap—both lost in the local elections. If Prime Minister Kim Min-seok were to lose to party leader Jung Chung-rae at the Democratic Party of Korea national convention slated for August, concerns even arose about an "early lame duck" period in which the president's power would rapidly wane. Because of this, arguments gained traction that a power player prime minister such as Deputy Minister Kang or Minister Jung should be fielded early to dispel lame duck concerns.
A senior official in the ruling camp said, "I understand the president also wrestled with appointing Deputy Minister Kang or Minister Jung as prime minister," adding, "However, Minister Jung personally declined, and in Deputy Minister Kang's case, the lack of a suitable successor as chief of staff was the problem."
Minister Jung is said to be strongly intent on personally launching the Office of Public Prosecution in October and completing prosecutorial reform. With no small number of prosecutorial reform tasks remaining in the latter half of the National Assembly term, including amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act, it was not easy for the president to let go of Minister Jung.
Deputy Minister Kang is expected to take on the role of prime minister responsible for the latter part of the president's term. With only one year of the term elapsed, it is a burdensome time to step up as prime minister. That is why the president, after much deliberation, pulled the nominee Han card. A political source said, "Nominee Han's term will be at most until around March next year," adding, "If Deputy Minister Kang steps down as chief of staff at the end of this year, he will naturally succeed to the prime ministership."
As a former CEO of an IT company, nominee Han's alignment with several of the Lee Jae-myung administration's policy priorities, including innovation, results, and mutual growth, also appears to have contributed to the selection. A ruling camp source said, "Wherever nominee Han is placed, she will do her part. There are no disqualifying factors at all."