Hwang Kyo-ahn

You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Korean. (July 2017) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Korean Wikipedia article at [[:ko:황교안]]; see its history for attribution. You may also add the template {{Translated|ko|황교안}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

United Future Party
In office 17 February 2020 – 15 April 2020
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Shim Jae-chul (acting) Lee Jun-seok
Minister of Justice
In office 11 March 2013 – 18 June 2015
Prime Minister	Chung Hong-won Lee Wan-koo Choi Kyoung-hwan (acting)
Preceded by	Gwon Jae-jin
Succeeded by	Kim Ju-hyeon (acting)
Personal details
Born	(1957-04-15) 15 April 1957 (age 67) South Korea
Political party	People Power (2020–present)
Other political affiliations	Liberty Korea (2018–2020)
Spouse	Choi Ji-young
Children	2
Alma mater	Sungkyunkwan University (LLB, LLM)
Signature
Korean name
Hangul	황교안
Hanja	黃敎安
Revised Romanization	Hwang Gyoan
McCune–Reischauer	Hwang Kyoan
IPA	[hwaŋ.ɡjo.an]

Hwang Kyo-ahn (

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

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]

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] In 1983, he studied theology at the Capital Baptist Theological Seminary and obtained a diploma.^[5]

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

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.

Hwang joined the Cabinet of South Korean President

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

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.

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]

In November 2018, Hwang joined the

In the

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]

On 5 February 2025, Hwang joined the legal team of impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol defending him from criminal charges relating to his declaration of martial law in December 2024. Hwang had previously expressed support for the declaration.^[27]

Hwang is