[1] Hwang attracted international attention for a bat flip in July 2015, after he hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning against the NC Dinos.

[2][3] In October 2015, Hwang announced that he had asked the Giants to post him for transfer to Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States.

Hwang began the season with the Sacramento River Cats of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League on April 8, 2017.

[7][8] In late June, Hwang told the Giants that he would use the opt-out clause in his contract and become a free agent if he was not called up to the major leagues by July 1.

[15] On February 10, 2022, Hwang announced in a handwritten letter via personal SNS that he and singer-actress Park Ji-yeon, will get married in the winter of this year.