Han Sung-sook faces confirmation hearings before taking office as prime minister

Han Sung-sook, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups minister nominated as the second prime minister of the Lee Jae Myung administration, must clear a National Assembly confirmation hearing and win a plenary vote before she can formally take office.

With the Democratic Party of Korea holding an outright majority in the Assembly, most observers expect the confirmation process — from the hearing to the final vote — to proceed without major obstacles, barring any unforeseen developments. Han is expected to be confirmed and take office around early July.

Following President Lee's official nomination Sunday, the administration is expected to submit a confirmation hearing request to the National Assembly shortly.

The request will be accompanied by documents detailing the president's reasons for the nomination, along with records of the candidate's and her family's assets, military service history for her and her children, any tax delinquencies and criminal background checks.

A confirmation hearing preparation team led by Kim Young-su, first deputy minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, will also begin full operations out of the prime minister's office.

Under the Confirmation Hearing Act, the National Assembly must complete the hearing within 15 days of receiving the request, and the entire legislative review process must conclude within 20 days.

Confirmation at the plenary session requires a majority of registered Assembly members to be present and a majority of those present to vote in favor. Prime ministerial confirmation hearings have historically been flashpoints for sharp clashes between the ruling and opposition parties over allegations large and small.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok was nominated as the inaugural prime minister of the Lee administration on June 4, 2025, and the confirmation hearing request was submitted to the National Assembly on June 10.

His hearing was held June 24-25, and he received his appointment letter after a plenary vote on July 3 — 29 days from nomination to appointment.

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, by contrast, was confirmed only 48 days after his nomination, following an intense standoff between the ruling and opposition parties.

Taking these precedents into account, Han Sung-sook is expected to be formally appointed in early to mid-July, assuming the confirmation process concludes without incident.