Hwang Kyo-ahn (; born 15 April 1957) is a South Korean politician and prosecutor who served as acting
president of South Korea
The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; ), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is ...
from 9 December 2016 to 10 May 2017 and the 40th
prime minister of South Korea
The prime minister of the Republic of Korea (PMOTROK or PMOSK; ) is the deputy head of government and the second highest political office of South Korea who is appointed by the President of the Republic of Korea, with the National Assembly's app ...
from 18 June 2015 to 11 May 2017.
Hwang served as
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
from 2013 to 2015 under President
Park Geun-hye
Park Geun-hye (; ; often in English ; born 2 February 1952) is a South Korean politician who served as the 11th president of South Korea from 2013 to 2017, until she was impeached and convicted on related corruption charges.
Park was the fi ...
. He played a leading role in the
investigation into the 2013 South Korean sabotage plot, which led to the conviction of Lee Seok-ki and the dissolution of the
Unified Progressive Party
The Unified Progressive Party (UPP; ko, 통합진보당, RR: ''Tonghap Jinbo-dang'', Hanja: 統合進步黨) is a banned political party in South Korea. It was founded on 5 December 2011 as a merger of the Democratic Labor Party, the People ...
. In May 2015, he was nominated by President Park Geun-hye for the position of
Prime Minister of South Korea
The prime minister of the Republic of Korea (PMOTROK or PMOSK; ) is the deputy head of government and the second highest political office of South Korea who is appointed by the President of the Republic of Korea, with the National Assembly's app ...
and assumed office on June 18, 2015.
On December 9, 2016, President Park Geun-hye was
impeached by the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
. Hwang assumed the role of
Acting President of Korea in accordance with the
presidential order of succession until the
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
of
Moon Jae-in
Moon Jae-in (; ; born 24 January 1953) is a South Korean former politician, civil servant and lawyer who served as the 12th president of South Korea between 2017 and 2022. Prior to his presidency, he served as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs an ...
on 9 May 2017.
In January 2019, he joined the
Liberty Korea Party, and was elected as its
party leader on 27 February 2019. When the Liberty Korea Party merged with several other parties to form the
United Future Party on 17 February 2020, Hwang continued his role of party leader of the United Future Party. After leading the United Future Party to a landslide defeat in the
2020 South Korean legislative election
Legislative elections were held in South Korea on 15 April 2020. All 300 members of the National Assembly were elected, 253 from first-past-the-post constituencies and 47 from proportional party lists. They were the first elections held under ...
and losing his own election for the
constituency in
Jongno District
Bosingak bell pavilion
Jongno District () is a district () in central Seoul, South Korea. It takes its name from a major local street, Jongno, which means "Bell Road".
Characteristics
Jongno District has been the center of the city for 600 ye ...
,
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
, Hwang resigned as party leader.
On 10 March 2021, Hwang announced his candidacy for nominee of the
People Power Party in the
2022 South Korean presidential election. He was eliminated from the shortlist of PPP candidates on 8 October.
Early life and education
Hwang was born on April 15, 1957.
[Minister's Profile, MOJ](_blank)
Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea (accessed December 11, 2016). He graduated from
Kyunggi High School
Kyunggi High School () is the oldest modern high school in Korea, located in Gangnam District, Seoul. The school is an all-boys school, and its counterpart is , also located in Gangnam District, Seoul.
Kyunggi High School has educated many lead ...
in 1976.
He received his
LL.B in 1981 from the College of Law at
Sungkyunkwan University
Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU or simply ''Seongdae'', Hangul: 성균관대학교; Hanja: 成均館大學校) is a private comprehensive research university in South Korea. The institution traces its origins to the historic Sungkyunkwan, found ...
, and passed the 23rd National Bar Exam the same year.
Hwang managed to avoid the mandatory military service which all Korean male adults are required to complete by claiming a rare case of hives.
Hwang earned his
LL.M. in 2006 from the Graduate School of Law at
Sungkyunkwan University
Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU or simply ''Seongdae'', Hangul: 성균관대학교; Hanja: 成均館大學校) is a private comprehensive research university in South Korea. The institution traces its origins to the historic Sungkyunkwan, found ...
.
Prosecutorial career
Hwang was a career prosecutor.
In December 1982, he began his career as prosecutor at the Chuncheon District Prosecutor's Office. He worked as a public security inspector with the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office and the Seoul District Public Prosecutor's Office. He spent 30 years as a prosecutor, specializing in enforcing public safety and national security laws under the military junta of Chun Doo-hwan, gaining particular notoriety for targeting democracy activists by linking them with North Korea.
[Koichi Kato]
Meet South Korea's new leader, Hwang Kyo-ahn: Conservative prosecutor has history of friction with opposition
'' The Nikkei'' (December 10, 2016).
Hwang wrote a book on the national security law called the "Public Security Investigation Textbook."
After serving as the Chief Inspector of the Busan High Prosecutors' Office in 2011, he served as an attorney at the Pacific Law Firm from September 2011 to January 2013.
Political career
Justice Minister (2013–2015)
Hwang joined the Cabinet of South Korean President
Park Geun-hye
Park Geun-hye (; ; often in English ; born 2 February 1952) is a South Korean politician who served as the 11th president of South Korea from 2013 to 2017, until she was impeached and convicted on related corruption charges.
Park was the fi ...
in 2013 as
minister of justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
.
In that role, Hwang played a key role in the
Constitutional Court
A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...
case against the left-wing
Unified Progressive Party
The Unified Progressive Party (UPP; ko, 통합진보당, RR: ''Tonghap Jinbo-dang'', Hanja: 統合進步黨) is a banned political party in South Korea. It was founded on 5 December 2011 as a merger of the Democratic Labor Party, the People ...
(which was accused of holding pro-North Korean views); the case culminated in a controversial December 2014 order banning the party, a decision that some saw as a blow to
freedom of speech in South Korea.
[S. Korea's interim leader was Park defender; powers unclear](_blank)
Associated Press (December 9, 2016).
Prime Minister (2015–2017)
On May 21, 2015, Park named Hwang as Prime Minister of South Korea, following the resignation of
Lee Wan-koo due to allegations of
bribery.
In July 2016, Hwang was heckled and pelted with eggs and water bottles by crowds in the rural town of
Seongju
Seongju County (''Seongju-gun'') is a county in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. This largely agricultural area is located immediately west of the metropolitan city of Daegu. The capital of the county is the town of Seongju.
Lotte Skyhill ...
, who were opposed to deployment of the
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), formerly Theater High Altitude Area Defense, is an American anti-ballistic missile defense system designed to shoot down short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their termina ...
(a U.S.
missile defense system) in the area.
[South Korean prime minister pelted with eggs by protesters](_blank)
Agence France-Presse (July 15, 2016). The deployment plans angered local residents, who raised health and environmental concerns.
Hwang "was regarded as the staunchest loyalist in Park's cabinet."
Nevertheless, on November 2, 2016, one month before her impeachment, Park fired Hwang as Prime Minister amid the
2016 South Korean political scandal
Sixteen or 16 may refer to:
*16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17
*one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016
Films
* ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film
* ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film ...
as Park tried to rebuild confidence in her administration.
[Jonathan Cheng]
South Korea President Park Geun-hye Impeached: Decision on removal will come from Constitutional Court
''Wall Street Journal'' (December 9, 2016). However, after "a dispute with opposition leaders over choosing a replacement," Hwang was kept in office as prime minister.
Afterwards, Hwang attended the
APEC meeting, which was held in Peru, on behalf of Park.
Acting President (2016–2017)
On December 9, 2016, upon
the National Assembly's vote to impeach President Park following a
political scandal
In politics, a political scandal is an action or event regarded as morally or legally wrong and causing general public outrage. Politicians, government officials, party officials and lobbyists can be accused of various illegal, corrupt, uneth ...
, Hwang assumed Park's presidential powers and duties as Acting President.
[The latest: S. Korea PM officially becomes acting president](_blank)
Associated Press (December 9, 2016). On March 10, 2017, South Korea's Constitutional Court upheld the decision to impeach President Park Geun-hye and removed her from office. As a result, Hwang continued as Acting President of South Korea until
new elections in early May, which were brought forward from December due to the constitution requiring new elections within 60 days of a permanent presidential vacancy. On assuming the powers of the presidency, Hwang said he felt "deep responsibility".
The exact extent of Hwang's powers as acting president are unclear under South Korean law.
His first field tour as acting president was to the
Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...
in central
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
, where he emphasized national security and stated "We are facing a grave security status, as we cannot entirely rule out the possibility of North Korean provocations near the
Northern Limit Line
The Northern Limit Line or North Limit Line (NLL) – 북방한계선 (in ROK) – is a disputed maritime demarcation line in the Yellow (West) Sea between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on the north, and the Republic of Ko ...
(NLL)."
Hwang decided against contesting the
South Korean 2017 presidential election, declaring it would be inappropriate to run, opting instead to focus on his position as Acting President. He was previously seen as the leading candidate for conservatives within the country, leaving them searching for a viable candidate other than Hwang to challenge leading contender
Moon Jae-in
Moon Jae-in (; ; born 24 January 1953) is a South Korean former politician, civil servant and lawyer who served as the 12th president of South Korea between 2017 and 2022. Prior to his presidency, he served as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs an ...
for the presidency.
He resigned as Prime Minister on May 11, 2017, after the election of his successor as president.
Post-presidency and party leadership (2018–2020)
In November 2018, Hwang joined the
Liberty Korea Party. He announced in January 2019 that he would be seeking the party's leadership position. On February 27, 2019, he won
Liberty Korea Party leadership election with 50.1 percent of the vote. When the Liberty Korea Party merged with several other smaller parties to form the
United Future Party on 17 February 2020, Hwang assumed the role of party leader of the United Future Party.
In the
2020 legislative elections on April 15, Hwang ran for the seat for the
Jongno
Jongno or Jong-ro ( ko, 종로), literally meaning "Bell Street", is a trunk road and one of the oldest major east–west thoroughfares in Seoul, South Korea. Jongno connects Gwanghwamun Plaza to Dongdaemun.
The area surrounding Jongno is a p ...
district of Seoul, which includes the
Blue House
Cheong Wa Dae ( ko, 청와대; Hanja: ; ), also known as the Blue House, is a public park that formerly served as the executive office and official residence of the president of South Korea from 1948 to 2022. It is located in the Jongno distr ...
and
Gwanghwamun Plaza
Gwanghwamun Plaza (, also known as Gwanghwamun Square) is a public open space on Sejongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The plaza was opened on 1 August 2009 by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and is part of the City's plans for environmenta ...
. Hwang led his party to a landslide defeat and lost his own Jongno election to Democratic Party candidate and former
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Lee Nak-yon. Hwang resigned from the leadership on April 15, shortly after the election. After the 2020 legislative elections, Hwang went on a brief hiatus from politics.
2022 presidential election bid (2021)
On 10 March 2021, Hwang Kyo-ahn announced his candidacy in the
2022 South Korean presidential election in a
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
post. He registered as a candidate for the People Power Party, the current incarnation of the former United Future Party. On 8 October, Hwang was eliminated from the PPP shortlist of nominees as it narrowed to four candidates, effectively ending his 2022 presidential bid.
After his loss, Hwang engaged in
conspiracy theory and accused the primaries of being fraudulent and rigged.
Personal life
Hwang is a devout Protestant and attends a Baptist church. He is a member of the
Korea Baptist Convention. Hwang attended night seminary and has been a church preacher.
References
External links
President Trump and Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn of the Republic of Korea (ROK) January 29, 2017
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hwang, Kyo-ahn
1957 births
Living people
Acting presidents of South Korea
Prime Ministers of South Korea
Justice ministers of South Korea
20th-century South Korean lawyers
Sungkyunkwan University alumni
People from Seoul
South Korean Baptists
Changwon Hwang clan
South Korean prosecutors
People Power Party (South Korea) politicians
Liberty Korea Party politicians
21st-century South Korean politicians
21st-century South Korean lawyers