Actor Myung Gye-nam, known as a supporter of President Lee Jae-myung, has been appointed as the governor of Hwanghae Province under the Five Northern Provinces Committee, a vice minister-level position.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 2nd that Myung has been appointed as the new governor of Hwanghae Province.
The new governor was born in 1952 in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province. He graduated from Shinil High School and enrolled in the Department of Theology at Yonsei University but dropped out. He began his career in theater before transitioning to film, working across both screen and stage.
Myung has served as CEO of East Film, secretary-general of the Korean Film Council, and chairman of the operating committees for the Busan Film Commission and Namdo Film Commission. In 2002, he headed the "People Who Love Roh Moo-hyun" association and served as executive chairman of the Participatory Government Evaluation Forum. He participated in producing films including "Green Fish" and "Peppermint Candy."
The Five Northern Provinces Committee under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety oversees five provinces—Hwanghae, South Pyongan, North Pyongan, South Hamgyong, and North Hamgyong—that were part of Korea's administrative districts as of August 15, 1945, but have not been recovered by the government. Although these areas remain outside the government's effective administrative authority, governors are appointed by the president through nomination by the Minister of the Interior and Safety and approval by the Prime Minister, in accordance with the Special Act on the Five Northern Provinces.