Shin Hyun-hwak (; October 29, 1920 – April 26, 2007) was

Prime Minister of South Korea The prime minister of the Republic of Korea (PMOTROK or PMOSK; ) is the deputy head of government and the second highest political office of South Korea who is appointed by the President of the Republic of Korea, with the National Assembly's ap ...

from December 13, 1979 to May 21, 1980, representing the Democratic Republican Party.

Early life and career

Shin was born in

Chilgok-gun Chilgok County (''Chilgok-gun'') is located at south-west part of North Gyeongsang Province. It is close by Gunwi County, Daegu Metropolitan city on the east while adjoins with Gimchon-si, Seongju County on the west. It is also a transportation hu ...

North Gyeongsang Province North Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상북도, translit=Gyeongsangbuk-do, ) is a province in eastern South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remained a province of Korea until the ...

on October 29, 1920. He studied at

Daegu High School Daegu High School is a Korean public high school located in Daegu, South Korea. The school was appointed as a Subject-oriented & Liberal public high school in 2009. In 2017, the number of alumni exceeded 31,000. History The school was approved on ...

and graduated in law from Gyeongseong Imperial University in 1943, entering a career as a public official under Japanese rule. Following the establishment of the

First Republic of Korea The first Republic of Korea () was the government of South Korea from August 1948 to April 1960. The first republic was founded on 15 August 1948 after the transfer from the United States Army Military Government that governed South Korea sin ...

, Shin entered the

Ministry of Commerce and Industry A Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry or variations is a ministry that is concerned with a nation's trade, industry and commerce. Notable examples are: List *Algeria: Ministry of Industry and M ...

in 1951. He was elected part of the legislature of South Korea in 1973, in the Democratic Republican Party.

Government

Shin was the South Korean Minister of Health and Social Affairs between 1975 and 1978, becoming

Deputy Prime Minister of South Korea The Deputy Prime Minister of South Korea is a senior member of the Cabinet of South Korea. List of deputy prime ministers See also *Prime Minister of South Korea The prime minister of the Republic of Korea (PMOTROK or PMOSK; ) is the ...

in 1978. While Deputy Prime Minister, he was also minister for the economic planning board. Following the assassination of

Park Chung-hee Park Chung-hee (, ; 14 November 1917 – 26 October 1979) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the dictator of South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979; ruling as an unelected military strongman from 1961 ...

, Prime Minister

Choi Kyu-hah Choi Kyu-hah (; ; July 16, 1919 – October 22, 2006), also spelled Choi Kyu-ha or Choi Gyu-ha, was a South Korean politician who served as the fourth president of South Korea from 1979 to 1980. Early life Choi was born in Wonju-myeon, Wo ...

became acting

President of South Korea The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; ), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is ...

. On December 13, 1979, Shin was appointed as

, as part of the

Coup d'état of December Twelfth The Coup d'état of December Twelfth (Hangul: 12.12 군사반란; Hanja: 12.12 軍事叛亂) or the "12.12 Military Insurrection" was a military coup d'état which took place on December 12, 1979, in South Korea. Republic of Korea Army Major Ge ...

. Following the coup,

repealed a decree banning criticism of the constitution, as well as releasing dissidents from prison. Following the

Coup d'état of May Seventeenth The Coup d'état of May Seventeenth was a military coup d'état carried out in South Korea by General Chun Doo-hwan and Hanahoe that followed the Coup d'état of December Twelfth. On May 17, 1980, General Chun Doo-hwan forced the Cabinet to exte ...

, Shin was deposed on May 21, 1980, in the events that led to the dissolution of the

Fourth Republic of Korea The fourth Republic of Korea () was the government of South Korea from November 1972 to March 1981. The Fourth republic was founded on the approval of the Yushin Constitution in the 1972 constitutional referendum, codifying the ''de facto'' d ...

and creation of the

Fifth Republic of Korea The fifth Republic of South Korea was the government of South Korea from March 1981 to December 1987. The fifth republic was established in March 1981 by Chun Doo-hwan, a military colleague of long-time president and dictator Park Chung-hee, aft ...

Later life

Shin remained on the National Advisory Council from 1981 to 1988. In 1986, he gained a position at

Samsung C&T Corporation Samsung C&T Corporation ("Construction & Trading Corporation"; formerly Samsung Corporation; Korean: 삼성물산), is a South Korean construction and engineering company. It was founded in 1938 as the first Samsung company and was initially i ...

, becoming chairman in 1987. He died on April 26, 2007, at

Seoul National University Hospital Seoul National University Hospital (서울대학교병원) is one of the oldest and biggest hospitals in South Korea. It is a general and teaching hospital of Seoul National University's College of Medicine. Its headquarters are in Yongon-dong, Jo ...

, after having been in the hospital since February 2006 due to a backbone fracture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shin, Hyun-hwak 1920 births 2007 deaths People from North Gyeongsang Province Seoul National University alumni Prime Ministers of South Korea Sin clan of Pyongsan