President Park Geun-hye Thursday named Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn as the new prime minister, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.
  

The decision comes after former Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo stepped down in late April amid allegations he took 30 million won ($27,400) from a businessman who hanged himself last month.
  
Park's choice is also interpreted as reflecting her push for a fight against corruption, as well as a major deregulation drive to help revive the stagnant economy.
  
Whether Hwang will pass the parliamentary confirmation hearing remains murky given the opposition bloc's resistance to the prosecutor-turned-justice minister.
  

Having served as the chief of several provincial prosecutors' offices, Hwang is believed to have earned Park's confidence for his handling of political affairs.
  

Hwang, 58, has been heading the Ministry of Justice since President Park too office in early 2013, with the National Security Law cited as the field of his expertise. (Yonhap)