President Park Geun-hye Name Hwang Kyo-ahn Party Independent politician Political party Independent | Parents Jeon Chil-rye Preceded by Gwon Jae-jin Spouse Choi Ji-young | |
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Preceded by Choi Kyoung-hwan (Acting) Born 15 April 1957 (age 67) Seoul, South Korea ( 1957-04-15 ) Alma mater Sungkyunkwan University Role Prime Minister of South Korea Office Prime Minister of South Korea since 2015 Children Hwang Seong-jin, Hwang Seong-hee | ||
Succeeded by Kim Ju-hyeon (Acting) Education Sungkyunkwan University Similar Chung Mong joon, Bae Hyun jin, Hwang Kyo ahn | ||
S korea parliament ratifies hwang kyo ahn as new pm
Hwang Kyo-ahn (Korean: 황교안, Hanja: 黃敎安, RR: Hwang Gyo-an; born 15 April 1957) is a South Korean lawyer and was the 44th Prime Minister of South Korea from 18 June 2015 to 11 May 2017, having previously served as Justice Minister. Hwang served as Acting President of South Korea following the impeachment and removal of President Park Geun-hye by the Constitutional Court of Korea on 10 March 2017, until the election of Moon Jae-in on 9 May 2017. He had already taken over Park's presidential powers and duties on 9 December 2016 when impeachment proceedings were launched against her by the National Assembly and she was suspended from the powers and duties of the office.
Contents
- S korea parliament ratifies hwang kyo ahn as new pm
- Early life and education
- As prosecutor
- Justice Minister 2013 2015
- Prime Minister 2015 2017
- Acting President 2017
- References
Early life and education
Hwang was born on April 15, 1957. He graduated from Kyunggi High School in 1976. 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.
Hwang earned his LL.M. in 2006 from the Graduate School of Law at Sungkyunkwan University.
As prosecutor
Hwang was a career prosecutor. He spent 30 years as a prosecutor, specializing "in enforcing public safety and national security laws, gaining particular expertise in legislation targeting groups linked to North Korea"—activities that prompted criticism from the South Korean opposition.
Justice Minister (2013-2015)
Hwang joined the Cabinet of South Korean President Park Geun-hye in 2013 as minister of justice. 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.
Prime Minister (2015-2017)
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.
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. 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 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. 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 (2017)
On December 9, 2016, upon National Assembly's vote to impeach President Park following a political scandal, Hwang assumed Park's presidential powers and duties as Acting President. On March 10, 2017, South Korea's Constitution Court upheld the decision to impeach President Park Geun-hye, meaning Hwang will continue as Acting President of South Korea until the inauguration of the next elected President set to take place in early May. 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 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)."
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 for the presidency.
He resigned as Prime Minister on 11 May 2017, after the election of his successor as president.