Hwang Kyo-ahn

Hwang Kyo-ahn (; born 15 April 1957) is a South Korean politician and prosecutor who served as the acting president of South Korea from 2016 to 2017 and as the prime minister of South Korea from 2015 to 2017.

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. 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.

On 9 December 2016, President Park Geun Hye was impeached by the National Assembly. Hwang assumed the role of Acting President of Korea in accordance with the presidential order of succession until the election of Moon Jae-in on 9 May 2017.

In January 2019, he joined the Liberty Korea Party and was elected as its party leader on 27 February 2019. When the Liberty Korea Party merged with several other parties to form the United Future Party on 17 February 2020, Hwang continued his role as party leader of the United Future Party. After leading the United Future Party to a landslide defeat in the 2020 South Korean legislative election and losing his own election for the constituency in Jongno District, Seoul, Hwang resigned as party leader.

On 10 March 2021, Hwang announced his candidacy for nominee of the People Power Party (PPP) in the 2022 South Korean presidential election. He was eliminated from the shortlist of PPP candidates on 8 October. He withdrew on 1 June, endorsing PPP nominee Kim Moon-soo.

Early life and education Hwang was born on 15 April 1957. He graduated from Kyunggi High School in 1976.

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

Hwang wrote a book on the national security law called the "Public Security Investigation Textbook."

Premiership (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. The deployment plans angered local residents, who raised health and environmental concerns. However, after "a dispute with opposition leaders over choosing a replacement," Hwang was kept in office as prime minister. 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. On assuming the powers of the presidency, Hwang said he felt "deep responsibility".

Hwang decided against contesting the 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.

Post-presidency and party leadership (2018–2020) In November 2018, Hwang joined the Liberty Korea Party. He announced in January 2019 that he would be seeking the party's leadership position. On 27 February 2019, he won Liberty Korea Party leadership election with 50.1 percent of the vote. When the Liberty Korea Party merged with several other smaller parties to form the United Future Party on 17 February 2020, Hwang assumed the role of party leader of the United Future Party.

In the 2020 legislative elections on 15 April, Hwang ran for the seat for the Jongno district of Seoul, which includes the Blue House and Gwanghwamun Plaza. Hwang led his party to a landslide defeat and lost his own Jongno election to Democratic Party candidate and former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon. Hwang resigned from the leadership on 15 April, shortly after the election. After the 2020 legislative elections, Hwang went on a brief hiatus from politics.

2022 presidential election bid (2021) On 10 March 2021, Hwang Kyo-ahn announced his candidacy in the 2022 South Korean presidential election in a Facebook post. 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. After his loss, Hwang engaged in conspiracy theory and accused the primaries of being fraudulent and rigged.

Later career 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.

Ministry He is a Baptist Christian evangelist of a Baptist Church in Seoul, affiliated with the Korea Baptist Convention.

Election results Year Elections Constituency Political party Votes (%) Results 2020 21st National Assembly General Election Jongno (Seoul) UFP 37,594 (39.97%) Defeated 2025 2025 Presidential Election South Korea Independent - Resigned 2026 2026 By-elections Pyeongtaek B (Gyeonggi) Freedom and Innovation 5,966 (6.19%) Defeated