[4][5] Hwangbo joined politics in December 1999 as a secretary to the then Yeongdo MP Kim Hyong-o, which she served for 8 months.

[5] She stepped down as a Busan Metropolitan Councilor on 20 March 2018 in order to contest for the Yeongdo District mayorship at the 2018 local elections.

[6] Nevertheless, she was defeated by the Democratic candidate Kim Chul-hoon amid the high popularity of Moon Jae-in government and the public anger towards the Liberty Korea Party (LKP).

[7] The LKP faced crushing defeats in Busan, where its mayorship was also won by the Democratic candidate Oh Keo-don.

[13][14] On 18 June 2023, Hwangbo left the People Power Party over charges of illegal campaign contributions and issues surrounding her personal life.