Lee Zai-ming's pick brings a female prime minister to South Korea, whose approach toward China comes as a surprise

Recently, Lee Zai-ming formally issued the appointment decree, approving Han Seong-sook as South Korea’s new Prime Minister—this marks the second prime minister under Lee’s administration.

Han Seong-sook’s ascension came as a complete surprise, even qualifying as a true dark horse. She is not only South Korea’s first female prime minister in 20 years but also ends the two-decade streak since 2007 during which the prime minister position was exclusively held by men.

Looking at Han Seong-sook’s background, she has almost no political experience. For most of her life, she specialized in the internet industry and stands out among South Korea’s top hundred enterprises as one of the few female executives who rose without relying on chaebol (conglomerate) family connections. It wasn’t until Lee Zai-ming took office that she entered government, serving as Minister of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Startups—a role she assumed just over a year ago. In traditional power structures, she was never considered part of the prime ministerial talent pool. Her unexpected rise to South Korea’s second-highest administrative post is extremely rare in the country’s political landscape.

Even more surprising is Han Seong-sook’s approach toward China.

Even during her tenure as Minister of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Startups, Han proactively broke through public opinion constraints and became the first senior cabinet official in Lee Zai-ming’s administration to officially lead a delegation to China and sign substantive cooperation agreements. During a period of cold bilateral relations, she took bold steps to thaw tensions—her actions went far beyond what public expectations had predicted. This proactive and pragmatic stance stands out sharply among South Korea’s high-level leadership in recent years, leading many observers to describe her China policy as unexpectedly forthright and unorthodox compared to the conventional avoidance tactics seen in past political circles.

Beyond this, most South Korean politicians tend to tie China-related issues to geopolitical security and ideological disputes, prioritizing alignment before discussing interests. Han Seong-sook, however, consistently avoids emotionally charged confrontational rhetoric, focusing instead on concrete areas such as industry, small businesses, and digital economy collaboration. Unswayed by conservative media narratives, her calm and practical approach contrasts sharply with the typical polarization surrounding China-related topics in South Korean politics.

Lee Zai-ming’s core foreign policy philosophy centers on avoiding alignment with any single bloc, maintaining balance between relations with the U.S. and China. It is foreseeable that his exceptional choice of Han Seong-sook as prime minister essentially uses the second-highest administrative position to institutionalize a pragmatic China policy, preventing conservative forces from pushing back and derailing the ongoing improvement in Sino-Korean relations.

In the future, Han Seong-sook will become a firm executor of Lee Zai-ming’s balanced diplomatic strategy. Upon taking office, she will lead the cabinet in unifying China policy coordination, reducing internal policy friction across ministries, and ensuring continuity and stability in the process of restoring Sino-Korean ties.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869489669641228/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.