Hwang Kyo-ahn Biography - Prime Minister & Acting President of South Korea

Hwang Kyo-ahn is the incumbent Prime Minister and the Acting President of South Korea. He assumed Prime Minister’s office on 18 June 2015 and President’s office on 9 December 2016. He ascended President’s post after former President Park Geun-hye was impeached.

Early Life and Education

Born on 15 April 1957, Hwang Kyo-ahn was raised in Seoul, South Korea. He went to Kyunggi High School and joined Sungkyunkwan University for an undergraduate degree in law. After finishing undergraduate studies in 1981, Kyo-ahn came back to the same university for Master’s degree in law.

Personal Life

Acting President and Incumbent Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn is married to Choi Ji-young. The couple has two children: Hwang Seong-jin and Hwang Seong-hee.

Career

After two years of graduating from Sungkyunkwan University, Hwang joined District Prosecutor’s Office as a professional prosecutor. Having worked in the district for years, he moved to Seoul District Prosecutor’s office. In 1990, he was promoted to the post of Prosecution Research Officer at the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office. Two years later, Kyo-ahn again joined Seoul District as a prosecutor.

To follow up, Kyo-ahn quickly progressed to being the Chief Prosecutor at the Tongyeong Branch of Changwon District Prosecutor’s Office in 1995. After two brief years, he joined Judicial Research & Training Institute as a professor. In 1999, he was appointed as a senior prosecutor for Criminal Department of Seoul District. The following year, he got promoted to the post of Director of Public Security Division I at the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office.

After an appointment as the Director, Hwang Kyo-ahn hierarchically progressed each year. As an independent politician, Hwang craved to make a political difference. So, alongside law career, Hwang Kyo-ahn took his political interests hand in hand. Quickly progressing from a senior prosecutor at Cyber Crime Investigation Department in Seoul to a Chief Prosecutor at Seongham Branch of Suwon District Prosecutor’s office, Kyo-ahn rose in political recognition and opened up pavements into the Korean politics. In 2007, he was appointed as the Chief of Office of Policy & Planning at Ministry of Justice.

In the following years, Hwang went back to his normal prosecuting career. Then, in 2011, he was appointed as the Chairman of Election Broadcast Deliberation Committee for the 19^th General Elections. After two years, he was appointed as the Minister of Justice by the President-elect Park Geun-hye. Hwang assumed the office on 11 March 2013.

Hwang Kyo-ahn had to leave the office of Ministry of JusticeT to assume the position of the South Korean Prime Minister. However, this tenure hasn’t yet had a greatly satisfying outcome. He deployed Terminal High Altitude Area Defense in Seongju. This led to a dissatisfaction of a lot of people. Anyway, he continued in the office until then President Park fired him. The move wasn’t appreciated, so Hwang was reinstated to the post.

After President Park was impeached by the National Assembly following a political scandal, Hwang assumed her responsibilities as an Acting President. After taking over the office, he was apologetic about Park’s misuse of presidential authorities.

Trump and Hwang Kyo-ahn

President Donald Trump and Hwang Kyo-ahn do not have a very close relation yet. However, the two leaders talked on the phone and it apparently seems that Kyo-ahn is quite neutral on Trump – unlike many other G20 Presidents. According to the White House, President Trump is looking forward to helping South Korean Government to defend themselves against neighboring North Korea.