Hwang Kyo-ahn
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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Korean. (July 2015) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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| Hwang Kyo-ahn | |
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| 황교안 | |
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| President of South Korea Acting |
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| Assumed office 9 December 2016* |
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| Preceded by | Park Geun-hye |
| Prime Minister of South Korea | |
| Assumed office 18 June 2015 |
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| President | Park Geun-hye |
| Preceded by | Choi Kyoung-hwan (Acting) |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 11 March 2013 – 18 June 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Gwon Jae-jin |
| Succeeded by | Kim Ju-hyeon (Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 April 1957 Seoul, South Korea |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) | Choi Ji-young |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Sungkyunkwan University |
| *Serving as Acting President while Park Geun-hye is suspended. | |
Hwang Kyo-ahn (Korean: 황교안, Hanja: 黃敎安, RR: Hwang Gyo-an; born 15 April 1957) is a South Korean lawyer who is the Prime Minister of South Korea and as of December 9, 2016 the Acting President, having assumed the presidential powers and duties following the ratification of the impeachment proposal of President Park Geun-hye.[1]
Contents
Early life and education[edit]
Hwang was born on April 15, 1957.[2] He graduated from Kyunggi High School in 1976.[2] 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.[2]
Hwang earned his LL.M. in 2006 from the Graduate School of Law at Sungkyunkwan University.[2]
Career as a prosecutor[edit]
Hwang was a career prosecutor.[2][3] 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.[4]
Political career[edit]
Justice Minister and Prime Minister[edit]
Hwang joined the Cabinet of South Korean President Park Geun-hye in 2013 as minister of justice.[4] 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.[4][5]
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.[4][1][3]
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.[6] The deployment plans angered local residents, who raised health and environmental concerns.[5][6]
Hwang "was regarded as the staunchest loyalist in Park's cabinet."[5] 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.[7][8] However, after "a dispute with opposition leaders over choosing a replacement," Hwang was kept in office as prime minister.[8]
Afterwards, Hwang attended the APEC meeting, which was held in Peru, on behalf of Park.
Acting President[edit]
On December 9, 2016, upon Parliament's vote to impeach Park following a political scandal, Hwang became Acting President and Park was suspended from office. Hwang is expected to remain in this post for up to six months, as the Constitutional Court considers whether to reinstate Park or remove her from office.[9] On assuming the powers of the presidency, Hwang said he felt "deep responsibility" for the scandal and apologized to the South Korean people.[9] The exact extent of Hwang's powers as acting president are unclear under South Korean law.[5]
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)."[10]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Park names Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn as new PM". Yonhap. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Minister's Profile, MOJ, Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea (accessed December 11, 2016).
- ^ a b "South Korea's Park names new PM after scandal strikes again". Reuters. 21 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d Koichi Kato, Meet South Korea's new leader, Hwang Kyo-ahn: Conservative prosecutor has history of friction with opposition, The Nikkei (December 10, 2016).
- ^ a b c d S. Korea's interim leader was Park defender; powers unclear, Associated Press (December 9, 2016).
- ^ a b South Korean prime minister pelted with eggs by protesters, Agence France-Presse (July 15, 2016).
- ^ Griffiths, James; Seo, Yoonjung (2 November 2016). "South Korea's prime minister sacked amid ongoing political crisis". CNN. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- ^ a b Jonathan Cheng, South Korea President Park Geun-hye Impeached: Decision on removal will come from Constitutional Court, Wall Street Journal (December 9, 2016).
- ^ a b The latest: S. Korea PM officially becomes acting president, Associated Press (December 9, 2016).
- ^ Hwang visits JCS in first field tour as acting president, Yonhap News Agency (December 11, 2016).
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Choi Kyoung-hwan Acting |
Prime Minister of South Korea 2015–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Park Geun-hye |
President of South Korea Acting 2016–present |
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