Actor Myung Gye-nam, 74, has been appointed as the new governor of Hwanghae Province, one of the five North Korean provinces over which South Korea claims symbolic governance. Myung is a well-known figure in the nation’s film and theater industries as both an actor and a producer, including “Spring in My Hometown” and “Peppermint Candy.” Myung has long been active in supporting liberal politicians. In 2002, he served as the leader of former President Roh Moo-hyun’s official fan club. In both the 2022 and 2025 elections, he also campaigned for Lee Jae Myung, then-presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea. “He was deemed fit to carry out the duties of Hwanghae Province governor, given, among other things, his father’s status as a displaced person from Gaeseong,” an official at the Ministry of Interior and Safety said. Governors of the North Korean provinces are appointed by the South Korean government as a symbolic administrative gesture. Hwanghae, North and South Pyongan, and North and South Hamgyong all have administrators appointed by the president on the