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Hwang Kyo-ahn

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In this Korean name, the family name is Hwang.
His Excellency
Hwang Kyo-ahn
황교안
Acting President of South Korea
In office
9 December 2016 – 10 May 2017[a]
Prime MinisterHimself
Preceded byPark Geun-hye
Succeeded byMoon Jae-in
44th Prime Minister of South Korea
In office
18 June 2015 – 11 May 2017
PresidentPark Geun-hye
Himself (acting)
Moon Jae-in
DeputyChoi Kyoung-hwan
Yoo Il-ho
Preceded byLee Wan-koo
Choi Kyoung-hwan (acting)
Succeeded byYoo Il-ho (acting)
Lee Nak-yon
Leader of Liberty Korea Party
In office
27 February 2019 – 17 February 2020
Preceded byKim Byong-joon (Interim)
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Leader of United Future Party
In office
17 February 2020 – 15 April 2020
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byShim Jae-chul (acting)
Lee Jun-seok
Minister of Justice
In office
11 March 2013 – 18 June 2015
Prime MinisterChung Hong-won
Lee Wan-koo
Choi Kyoung-hwan (acting)
Preceded byGwon Jae-jin
Succeeded byKim Ju-hyeon (acting)
Personal details
Born (1957-04-15) 15 April 1957 (age 67)
Seoul, South Korea
Political partyPeople Power (2020–present)
Other political
affiliations		Liberty Korea (2018–2020)
SpouseChoi Ji-young
Children2
Alma materSungkyunkwan University (LLB, LLM)
Signature
Korean name
Hangul
황교안
Hanja
黃敎安
Revised RomanizationHwang Gyoan
McCune–ReischauerHwang Kyoan
IPA[hwaŋ.ɡjo.an]

Hwang Kyo-ahn (Korean: 황교안; Hanja: 黃敎安; RR: Hwang Gyoan; born 15 April 1957) is a South Korean politician and prosecutor who served as acting president of South Korea from 9 December 2016 to 10 May 2017 and the 44th prime minister of South Korea from 18 June 2015 to 11 May 2017.

Hwang served as Minister of Justice from 2013 to 2015 under President Park Geun-hye. 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.[1] In May 2015, he was nominated by President Park Geun-hye for the position of Prime Minister of South Korea and assumed office on 18 June 2015.[2]

On 9 December 2016, President Park Geun-hye was impeached by the National Assembly. Hwang assumed the role of Acting President of Korea in accordance with the presidential order of succession until the election of Moon Jae-in 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 and losing his own election for the constituency in Jongno District, Seoul, 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.[3]

Early life and education

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Hwang was born on 15 April 1957.[4] He graduated from Kyunggi High School in 1976.[4] He received his LL.B in 1981 from the College of Law at Sungkyunkwan University, and passed the 23rd National Bar Exam the same year.[4] Hwang managed to avoid the mandatory military service which all Korean male adults are required to complete by claiming a rare case of hives.[5]

Hwang earned his LL.M. in 2006 from the Graduate School of Law at Sungkyunkwan University.[4]

Prosecutorial career

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Hwang was a career prosecutor.[4][6] 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.[7]

Hwang wrote a book on the national security law called the "Public Security Investigation Textbook."[2]

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

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Justice Minister (2013–2015)

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Hwang joined the Cabinet of South Korean President Park Geun-hye in 2013 as minister of justice.[7] In that role, Hwang played a key role in the Constitutional Court case against the left-wing Unified Progressive Party (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.[7][8]

Prime Minister (2015–2017)

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On 21 May 2015, Park named Hwang as Prime Minister of South Korea, following the resignation of Lee Wan-koo due to allegations of bribery.[7][9][6]

In July 2016, Hwang was heckled and pelted with eggs and water bottles by crowds in the rural town of Seongju, who were opposed to deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (a U.S. missile defense system) in the area.[10] The deployment plans angered local residents, who raised health and environmental concerns.[8][10]

Hwang "was regarded as the staunchest loyalist in Park's cabinet."[8] Nevertheless, on 2 November 2016, one month before her impeachment, Park fired Hwang as Prime Minister amid the 2016 South Korean political scandal as Park tried to rebuild confidence in her administration.[11][12] However, after "a dispute with opposition leaders over choosing a replacement," Hwang was kept in office as prime minister.[12]

Afterwards, Hwang attended the APEC meeting, which was held in Peru, on behalf of Park.

Acting President (2016–2017)

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Hwang meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis in February 2017
Hwang meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on March 17, 2017

On 9 December 2016, upon the National Assembly's vote to impeach President Park following the 2016 South Korean political scandal, Hwang assumed Park's presidential powers and duties as Acting President.[13] On 10 March 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.[14] On assuming the powers of the presidency, Hwang said he felt "deep responsibility".[13] The exact extent of Hwang's powers as acting president are unclear under South Korean law.[8]

His first field tour as acting president was to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in central Seoul, 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 (NLL)."[15]

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.[16][17] 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 for the presidency.[18]

He resigned as Prime Minister on 11 May 2017, after the election of his successor as president.[19]

Post-presidency and party leadership (2018–2020)

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In November 2018, Hwang joined the Liberty Korea Party. He announced in January 2019 that he would be seeking the party's leadership position.[20] On 27 February 2019, he won Liberty Korea Party leadership election with 50.1 percent of the vote.[21] 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 15 April, Hwang ran for the seat for the Jongno district of Seoul, which includes the Blue House and Gwanghwamun Plaza.[22] Hwang led his party to a landslide defeat and lost his own Jongno election to Democratic Party candidate and former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon. Hwang resigned from the leadership on 15 April, shortly after the election.[23] After the 2020 legislative elections, Hwang went on a brief hiatus from politics.

2022 presidential election bid (2021)

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On 10 March 2021, Hwang Kyo-ahn announced his candidacy in the 2022 South Korean presidential election in a Facebook post.[24] 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.[3] After his loss, Hwang engaged in conspiracy theory and accused the primaries of being fraudulent and rigged.[25][26]

Personal life

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Hwang is a devout Protestant and attends a Baptist church. He is a member of the Korea Baptist Convention.[27] Hwang attended night seminary and has been a church preacher.[28]

Notes

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  1. ^ on behalf of suspended Park Geun-hye to 10 March 2017

References

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  1. ^ 통합진보당 해산심판 청구안 의결…헌정 첫 사례(종합). Naver News (in Korean). Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b 새 총리 후보자 황교안은…朴정부 초대 내각 멤버, 외유내강형 '공안통'. www.kukinews.com (in Korean). 21 May 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  3. ^ a b Ko, Jun-tae (8 October 2021). "People Power Party shortlists 4 presidential candidates". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Minister's Profile, MOJ". Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  5. ^ Borowiec, Steven (16 March 2017). "Hwang Kyo-ahn: The Man Who Wouldn't Be King". Koreaexpose. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  6. ^ a b "South Korea's Park names new PM after scandal strikes again". Reuters. 21 May 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d Kato, Koichi (10 December 2016). "Meet South Korea's new leader, Hwang Kyo-ahn: Conservative prosecutor has history of friction with opposition". The Nikkei.
  8. ^ a b c d "S. Korea's interim leader was Park defender; powers unclear". Associated Press. 9 December 2016.
  9. ^ "Park names Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn as new PM". Yonhap. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  10. ^ a b "South Korean prime minister pelted with eggs by protesters". Agence France-Presse. 15 July 2016.
  11. ^ Griffiths, James; Seo, Yoonjung (2 November 2016). "South Korea's prime minister sacked amid ongoing political crisis". CNN. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  12. ^ a b Cheng, Jonathan (9 December 2016). "South Korea President Park Geun-hye Impeached: Decision on removal will come from Constitutional Court]". Wall Street Journal.
  13. ^ a b "The latest: S. Korea PM officially becomes acting president". Associated Press. 9 December 2016.
  14. ^ Hancocks, Paula; Hunt, Katie; McKirdy, Euan (9 March 2017). "South Korea: Constitutional court upholds President Park Geun-hye's impeachment". CNN. CNN. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  15. ^ "Hwang visits JCS in first field tour as acting president]". Yonhap News Agency. 11 December 2016.
  16. ^ Sang-hun, Choe (15 March 2017). "South Korea to Elect New President in May, Government Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  17. ^ "PM not to run for presidency". 15 March 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  18. ^ Sridharan, Vasudevan (15 March 2017). "South Korea's acting leader Hwang Kyo-ahn rules himself out of presidential race". Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  19. ^ 694일만에 떠나는 황교안…10번째 장수총리. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  20. ^ "Ex-Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn Announces Candidacy in LKP Leadership Election". KBS World Radio. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  21. ^ 한국당 새 대표에 황교안…2위 오세훈·3위 김진태(상보). News 1 (뉴스 1) (in Korean). 27 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  22. ^ Blatt, Mitchell. "Key Races for Control of South Korea's National Assembly". The National Interest.
  23. ^ "Main opposition chief steps down over parliamentary election defeat". 16 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  24. ^ "Ex-opposition leader Hwang Kyo-ahn signals return to politics". Yonhap News Agency. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  25. ^ 김승현 (8 October 2021). 황교안 "2차 컷오프 결과도 잘못돼...후보별 득표율 조작". 조선일보 (in Korean). Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  26. ^ 송치훈 (8 October 2021). 황교안 "당 경선도 부정선거 있었다, 후보별 투표율 조작" 주장. Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  27. ^ 황교안 후보자 17년 간 장학금 기부… 젊은 검사시절부터 이웃돕기 (Hope candidates donate scholarships for 17 years) (in Korean). Kukmin Ilbo. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  28. ^ 한국아이닷컴!. www.hankooki.com. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
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Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of South Korea
2015–2017 		Succeeded by
Yoo Il-ho
Acting
Preceded by President of South Korea
Acting
2017
Acting for Park Geun-hye: 2016–2017 		Succeeded by
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