Hwang Kyo-ahn
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Hwang Kyo-ahn | |
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황교안 | |
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| President of South Korea Acting | |
| Assumed office 10 March 2017 Acting with powers and duties for Park Geun-hye: 9 December 2016 – 10 March 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Park Geun-hye |
| 44th Prime Minister of South Korea | |
| Assumed office 18 June 2015 | |
| President | Park Geun-hye Himself (Acting) |
| Preceded by | Choi Kyoung-hwan (Acting) |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 11 March 2013 – 18 June 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Gwon Jae-jin |
| Succeeded by | Kim Ju-hyeon (Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 April 1957 Seoul, South Korea |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Choi Ji-young |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Sungkyunkwan University |
Hwang Kyo-ahn (Template:Lang-ko, Hanja: 黃敎安, RR: Hwang Gyo-an; born 15 April 1957) is a South Korean lawyer and is the Acting President of South Korea, having continued in that role following the impeachment and removal of President Park Geun-hye by the Constitutional Court of Korea on 10 March 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.[2] Hwang Kyo-ahn has also been the Prime Minister of South Korea since June 2015, having previously served as Justice Minister.
Early life and education
Hwang was born on April 15, 1957.[3] He graduated from Kyunggi High School in 1976.[3] 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.[3]
Hwang earned his LL.M. in 2006 from the Graduate School of Law at Sungkyunkwan University.[3]
Career as a prosecutor
Hwang was a career prosecutor.[3][4] 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.[5]
Political career
Justice Minister and Prime Minister
Hwang joined the Cabinet of South Korean President Park Geun-hye in 2013 as minister of justice.[5] 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.[5][6]
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.[5][2][4]
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.[7] The deployment plans angered local residents, who raised health and environmental concerns.[6][7]
Hwang "was regarded as the staunchest loyalist in Park's cabinet."[6] 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.[8][9] However, after "a dispute with opposition leaders over choosing a replacement," Hwang was kept in office as prime minister.[9]
Afterwards, Hwang attended the APEC meeting, which was held in Peru, on behalf of Park.
Acting President (2016–present)
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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.[10] 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.[11] On assuming the powers of the presidency, Hwang said he felt "deep responsibility".[10] The exact extent of Hwang's powers as acting president are unclear under South Korean law.[6]
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)."[12]
President Hwang Kyo-Ahn decided against contesting the South Korean 2017 presidential election, declaring it would be inappropriate to run, choosing instead to focus on his role as Acting President. [13][14] He was previously seen as the leading contender for conservatives within the country, leaving them searching for a viable candidate other than Hwang to challenge Moon Jae-in for the presidency.[15]
References
- ^ "황교안 후보자 17년 간 장학금 기부… 젊은 검사시절부터 이웃돕기 (Hope candidates donate scholarships for 17 years)" (in Korean). KMIB. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ^ 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).
- ^ Hancocks, Paula; Hunt, Katie; McKirdy, Euan (2017-03-09). "South Korea: Constitutional court upholds President Park Geun-hye's impeachment". CNN. CNN. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ Hwang visits JCS in first field tour as acting president, Yonhap News Agency (December 11, 2016).
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/world/asia/south-korea-election-park-geun-hye.html?_r=0
- ^ http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2017/03/356_225762.html
- ^ http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/south-koreas-acting-leader-hwang-kyo-ahn-rules-himself-out-presidential-race-1611657
External links
| Provisional Governments (Pre-Union) (1919) | Syngman Rhee (Seoul) • Syngman Rhee (Shanghai) • Yi Dong-nyeong (Shanghai) • Ahn Chang Ho (Shanghai) • Yi Dong-hwi (Shanghai) • Moon Chang-bum (Vladivostok) |   |
|---|---|---|
| Provisional Government (1919–1948) | Syngman Rhee‡ • Yi Dong-nyeong • Park Eun-sik • Lee Yu-pil • Yi Sang-ryong • Yang Gi-tak • Yi Dong-nyeong • Ahn Chang Ho • Yi Dong-nyeong • Hong Jin • Kim Ku • Yi Dong-nyeong • Song Byung-jo • Yi Dong-nyeong • Kim Ku • Syngman Rhee | |
| First Republic (1948–1960) | Syngman Rhee • Ho Chong | |
| Second Republic (1960–1961) | ||
| Military Junta (1961–1963) | ||
| Third Republic (1963–1972) | Park Chung Hee | |
| Fourth Republic (1972–1981) | Park Chung Hee • Choi Kyu-hah • Park Choong-hoon • Chun Doo-hwan | |
| Fifth Republic (1981–1988) | Chun Doo-hwan | |
| Sixth Republic (1988–present) | ||
Italics indicate an acting president • † Impeached, but restored to office • ‡ Impeached and removed from office | ||
1 President is a non-participant; Taiwan is represented as Chinese Taipei. |
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