Fine. I don't expect this to change any minds, but I'll try to explain why Hwang is cool.
He's an example of the soldier archetype. Eschewing personal gain and glory, he chooses to fight to protect his country. As expected, his personality is not boastful (like Mitsurugi, Maxi or Yun-Seong), nor does it have any of the inner anguish that characterizes the series' protagonists (i.e. Kilik, Siegfried). He approaches each battle seriously (unlike Xianghua or Seung-Mina), but treats his opponents with respect ("I'll remember your defeat," "You won't be forgotten," etc.). His personality is that of the quintessential martial artist - similar to Ryu from Street Fighter, really.
His fighting style matches his personality nicely. His sword strikes are quick and efficient, with very little wasted movement. In contrast, his legwork is very fancy, inspired by Taekwondo. (This is of course anachronistic, but let's give it a pass, since no one cares about martial arts history.) I guess you could say his sword strikes are the soldier aspect of his character and his kicks are the Korean part. The two elements complement one another in a satisfying way.
This type of character (serious & respectful personality, simple & efficient fighting style) has always been very popular in fighting games. I think a lot of new players would gravitate towards him if he were brought back.
I'd also like to mention how many clever cultural elements Hwang brings together. South Korea still has compulsory military service for men, and Hwang is a soldier. Hwang is helping to protect his country from an invasion from 16th century Japan, while the actual invasion of Korea by 20th century Japan led to the creation of modern taekwondo. This invasion also inspired the ban on samurai images in the media, which led to Hwang's initial creation. It's FULL CIRCLE.
