Hwang immigrated to the United States from South Korea as a child and obtained American citizenship in 2006.

[2] He is the founder of Joy Teriyaki, a restaurant chain in the Portland metropolitan area, and operator of the Fairview Food Plaza.

[5][6] Hwang accused incumbent Gorsek as using anti-immigrant language in a mailer sent to voters in 2018.

[9] As chair, Hwang has been critical of both Oregon governor Kate Brown and U.S. president Joe Biden regarding the 2021–2023 inflation surge.

[10] Following the Standoff at Eagle Pass, Hwang signed a letter in support of Texas Governor Greg Abbott's decision in the conflict.