Kim Hwang-sik (; born 9 August 1948) is a South Korean lawyer and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

who was the country's

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 ...

from October 2010 to February 2013 under President Lee Myung-bak. He was the former Chairperson of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI). He was the only member in the Lee Myung-bak Government who came from the liberal Honam Region.

Biography

He was born in

Jangseong Jangseong County (''Jangseong-gun'') is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Jangseong is in the southern region of the Korean peninsula and Gwangju and Naju is the nearest city from Jangseong. In South Jeolla, it near the northern bor ...

, studied law at

Marburg University The Philipps University of Marburg (german: Philipps-Universität Marburg) was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the wor ...

(Germany) and graduated from Seoul National University. He passed National Judicial Examination and had since made rounds through regional courts as a judge. He served as a Supreme Court justice from 2005 to 2008. He has served as the Chairperson of Board of Audit and Inspection from September 2008. On 16 September 2010, he was nominated as the new prime minister. After the National Assembly's confirmation hearing on 29 September, Kim was confirmed as the Prime Minister on October 1, 2010. Kim quit the BAI post just halfway into its four-year term; he was the second person to be appointed prime minister straight from the top BAI post after

Lee Hoi-chang Lee Hoi-chang (; born June 2, 1935) is a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the 26th Prime Minister of South Korea from 1993 to 1994. He was a presidential candidate in the 15th, 16th and 17th presidential elections of South K ...

Draft dodging controversy

Kim was exempted from being drafted for the two-year

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

service in 1972 by claiming to have a thyroid gland disorder.MC Catch-22
''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

Asia View'', 14 Oct 2010 His brother ran the hospital which gave him the diagnosis. In 1973, he was exempted again due to an "extreme imbalance" between the vision in his left and right eyes, despite having played badminton at a high level throughout his teens. These inconsistencies were one of the main topics on which his confirmation hearing for the prime ministry focused.

References

External links

BiographyInformation about Kim Hwang-sik and Marburg University
1948 births Government ministers of South Korea Living people People from South Jeolla Province Seoul National University School of Law alumni 20th-century South Korean judges Gwangsan Kim clan 21st-century South Korean judges Justices of the Supreme Court of Korea {{SouthKorea-politician-stub