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Actor Myung Kae-nam named Hwanghae Province governor

Published: 02 Mar. 2026, 21:34

Actor Myung Kae-nam speaks at a supporters' rally for then-presidential candidate Lee Jae Myung at a venue in Namyangju, Gyeonggi on May 26, 2025. [NEWS1]

Veteran actor Myung Kae-nam has taken on an unlikely new role as governor of Hwanghae Province — territory Seoul formally claims under its constitution but does not control in practice.

The post falls under the Committee for the Five Northern Korean Provinces, a body within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety that maintains administrative structures for five provinces north of the inter-Korean border as they existed on Aug. 15, 1945, with the aim of keeping local governments in place should reunification occur.

Each of the five provinces has a vice minister–level governor. Under the Act on Special Measures for Five North Korean Dos, the Interior Minister nominates the governor, the prime minister recommends the nominee to the president, and the president makes the appointment. “Do” is the Korean term for province.

Each governor receives an annual salary of 150 million won ($102,900), along with a driver and an official vehicle. They are also granted about 15 million won in annual operational expenses.

Myung, who was born in 1952 in Gongju, South Chungcheong, was appointed as Hwanghae Governor by the South Korean government on Monday. He graduated from Shinil High School and later dropped out of Yonsei University’s theology department.

Myung began his career in theater before moving into film, working across both stage and screen. As CEO of East Film, he produced movies including “Peppermint Candy” (1999) and “Oasis” (2002). He also served as secretary-general of the Korean Film Actors Association and headed the operating committees of the Busan Film Commission and the Namdo Film Festival organizing commission.

President Lee Jae Myung, left, and actor Myung Kae-nam shake hands during a memorial ceremony for former President Roh Moo-hyun at Bongha Village in South Gyeongsang on May 23, 2025. [JOONGANG ILBO]

In 2002, he served as the first chairman of former President Roh Moo-hyun's supporters' group, Nosamo, and supported then–Millennium Democratic Party candidate Roh in the 16th presidential election.

In 2007, Myung was co-executive chairman of an evaluation forum for the Participatory Government, the nickname of Roh’s administration, formed by key figures from the administration. In the 20th and 21st presidential elections, Myung publicly supported then–Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae Myung.

“Governors of the Five Northern Provinces are typically appointed from among prominent displaced persons or North Korean defectors, but we determined that Myung is suitable for the role of Hwanghae governor, taking into account that his father was a displaced person from Kaesong,” an Interior Ministry official said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY MOON HEE-CHUL [[email protected]]