Hwang started playing badminton at 7, at her local elementary school. Hwang who educated at the Pocheon High School, competed at the 2002 Asian Junior Championships, and won the silver medal in the girls' team event.[2] She entered the South Korea national team in 2004. Although she won national championships in 2005 and 2006, she wasn't known internationally until she beat reigning World Champion Xie Xingfang en route to the final of the 2006 Thailand Open. Later that year, Hwang won the bronze medal at the Doha Asian Games. Her best Superseries result came when she reached the semi-final of the 2008 All England but that year, she suffered major disappointment when she was unable to make the top 16 to become the second Korean women's singles representative at the Beijing Olympics.[3]
In late 2009, Hwang suffered a foot injury at a domestic event and by the time she returned to competition, her teammates Bae Seung-hee, Bae Yeon-ju, and Sung Ji-hyun had begun producing results and Hwang was not a member of Korea's Uber Cup-winning team in 2010.[4] She remained on the national team for several more years before retiring from international competition. She continued to play for the Samsung Electromechanics pro team and became coach of their women's team in 2016.
