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Thepresident of the Republic of Korea serves as the chief executive of the government of theRepublic of Korea and thecommander-in-chief of theRepublic of Korea Armed Forces.
The South Korean governmentconstitutionally considers theKorean Provisional Government (KPG) to be its predecessor.[1] The KPG was established in 1919 as agovernment in exile inShanghai during theJapanese occupation of Korea. Ithad nine different heads of state between September 1919 and August 1948.
Under the1988 Constitution of theSixth Republic of Korea, the presidential term is set at five years with no re-election. The president must be a South Korean citizen, at least 40 years old, who has lived in South Korea for 5 years.[2] The term was previously set at four years during theFirst Republic from 1948 to 1960, including a two-term limit that was repealed in 1954. The presidency was changed into a ceremonial role elected by legislators to five-year terms during theSecond Republic from 1960 to 1963. TheThird Republic returned the presidency to a directly-elected position with a four-year term in 1963 and repealed the two-term limit in 1969. Under theYushin Constitution of theFourth Republic adopted in 1972, the presidency became an indirectly elected position with six-year terms and no limits to re-election. It was replaced with a seven-year term under theFifth Republic in 1981, which retained the indirect elections but prohibited a second term.[3]
As of 2025[update], fourteen people have served in full capacity as president of South Korea[4] since the office was formally established on 24 July 1948, whenSyngman Rhee took office after being elected by theConstituent National Assembly.[3] The longest-serving president isPark Chung Hee, who held the office for 18 years from a1961 coup until his assassination in 1979 following a period of authoritarian rule.[3][5] The first and only woman to hold the presidency was his daughterPark Geun-hye, who was elected in 2012 and removed from office in 2017 after herimpeachment was upheld by theConstitutional Court of Korea.[3][6]
Lee Jae Myung assumed office on 4 June 2025 following theimpeachment of his elected predecessor,Yoon Suk Yeol, by the National Assembly on 14 December 2024 after hismartial law declaration. His powers were suspended until his impeachment was upheld by the Constitutional Court on 4 April 2025, which formally ended Yoon's presidency. Lee was elected in the2025 presidential election.[7]
| Political parties |
|---|
| Status |
Denotesacting president |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political party | Election | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| President under theUnited States Army Military Government in Korea | |||||||
| 1 | | Syngman Rhee 이승만 李承晩 (1875–1965) | 24 July 1948 | 15 August 1948 | 22 days | NARRKI | 1st (1948) |
| Presidents of theFirst Republic | |||||||
| (1) | | Syngman Rhee 이승만 李承晩 (1875–1965) | 15 August 1948 | 27 April 1960 | 11 years, 256 days | NARRKI Liberal | 2nd (1952) 3rd (1956) March 1960 |
| — |  | Ho Chong 허정 許政 (1896–1988) Acting | 27 April 1960 | 15 June 1960 | 49 days | Independent | — |
| Presidents of theSecond Republic | |||||||
| — | | Ho Chong 허정 許政 (1896–1988) Acting | 15 June 1960 | 15 June 1960 | 0 days | Independent | — |
| — |  | Kwak Sang-hoon 곽상훈 郭尙勳 (1896–1980) Acting | 16 June 1960 | 23 June 1960 | 7 days | Democratic | — |
| — | | Ho Chong 허정 許政 (1896–1988) Acting | 23 June 1960 | 7 August 1960 | 45 days | Independent | — |
| — |  | Baek Nak-jun 백낙준 白樂濬 (1895–1985) Acting | 8 August 1960 | 12 August 1960 | 4 days | — | |
| 2 | .jpg) | Yun Po-sun 윤보선 尹潽善 (1897–1990) | 13 August 1960 | 16 May 1961 | 276 days | Democratic | 4th (August 1960) |
| Presidents under theSupreme Council for National Reconstruction (SCNR)[a] | |||||||
| (2) | | Yun Po-sun 윤보선 尹潽善 (1897–1990) | 16 May 1961 | 24 March 1962[b] | 312 days | Democratic New Democratic | — |
| — |  | General Park Chung Hee 박정희 朴正熙 (1917–1979) Acting | 24 March 1962 | 17 December 1963 | 1 year, 268 days | Military Democratic Republican | — |
| President of theThird Republic | |||||||
| 3 | _Presidential_Portrait.jpg) | Park Chung Hee 박정희 朴正熙 (1917–1979) | 17 December 1963 | 21 November 1972 | 8 years, 340 days | Democratic Republican | 5th (1963) 6th (1967) 7th (1971) |
| Presidents of theFourth Republic | |||||||
| (3) | | Park Chung Hee 박정희 朴正熙 (1917–1979) | 21 November 1972 | 26 October 1979[c] | 6 years, 339 days | Democratic Republican | 8th (1972) 9th (1978) |
| — | _Choi.jpg) | Choi Kyu-hah 최규하 崔圭夏 (1919–2006) | 26 October 1979 | 6 December 1979 | 41 days | Independent | — |
| 4 | 6 December 1979[d] | 16 August 1980[e] | 254 days | 10th (1979) | |||
| — | Park Choong-hoon 박충훈 朴忠勳 (1919–2001) Acting | 16 August 1980 | 1 September 1980 | 16 days | Democratic Republican | — | |
| 5 | _Presidential_Portrait.jpg) | Chun Doo-hwan 전두환 全斗煥 (1931–2021) | 1 September 1980 | 24 February 1981 | 176 days | Military (Hanahoe) Democratic Justice (Hanahoe) | 11th (1980) |
| President of theFifth Republic | |||||||
| (5) | | Chun Doo-hwan 전두환 全斗煥 (1931–2021) | 25 February 1981 | 24 February 1988 | 6 years, 364 days | Democratic Justice (Hanahoe) | 12th (1981) |
| Presidents of the Sixth Republic | |||||||
| 6 | .jpg) | Roh Tae-woo 노태우 盧泰愚 (1932–2021) | 25 February 1988 | 24 February 1993 | 4 years, 365 days | Democratic Justice (Hanahoe) Democratic Liberal (Hanahoe) Independent (Hanahoe) | 13th (1987) |
| 7 |  | Kim Young-sam 김영삼 金泳三 (1927–2015) | 25 February 1993 | 24 February 1998 | 4 years, 364 days | Democratic Liberal New Korea Independent | 14th (1992) |
| 8 |  | Kim Dae-jung 김대중 金大中 (1924–2009) | 25 February 1998 | 24 February 2003 | 4 years, 364 days | National Congress Millennium Democratic Independent | 15th (1997) |
| 9 |  | Roh Moo-hyun 노무현 盧武鉉 (1946–2009) | 25 February 2003 | 12 March 2004[f] | 1 year, 16 days | Millennium Democratic Independent | 16th (2002) |
| — |  | Goh Kun 고건 高建 (born 1938) Acting | 12 March 2004 | 14 May 2004 | 63 days | Millennium Democratic | — |
| (9) | | Roh Moo-hyun 노무현 盧武鉉 (1946–2009) | 14 May 2004 | 24 February 2008 | 3 years, 286 days | Uri Independent | — |
| 10 |  | Lee Myung-bak 이명박 李明博 (born 1941) | 25 February 2008 | 24 February 2013 | 4 years, 365 days | Grand National Saenuri | 17th (2007) |
| 11 |  | Park Geun-hye 박근혜 朴槿惠 (born 1952) | 25 February 2013 | 10 March 2017[g] | 4 years, 13 days | Saenuri Liberty Korea | 18th (2012) |
| — |  | Hwang Kyo-ahn 황교안 黃敎安 (born 1957) Acting | 9 December 2016 | 9 May 2017 | 151 days | Independent | — |
| 12 | _(cropped)_(2).jpg) | Moon Jae-in 문재인 文在寅 (born 1953) | 10 May 2017 | 9 May 2022 | 4 years, 364 days | Democratic | 19th (2017) |
| 13 |  | Yoon Suk Yeol 윤석열 尹錫悅 (born 1960) | 10 May 2022 | 4 April 2025[h] | 2 years, 329 days | People Power | 20th (2022) |
| — | .jpg) | Han Duck-soo 한덕수 韓悳洙 (born 1949) Acting | 14 December 2024 | 27 December 2024[i] | 13 days | Independent | — |
| — |  | Choi Sang-mok 최상목 崔相穆 (born 1963) Acting | 27 December 2024 | 24 March 2025[j] | 87 days | Independent | — |
| — | | Han Duck-soo 한덕수 韓悳洙 (born 1949) Acting | 24 March 2025 | 1 May 2025[k] | 38 days | Independent | — |
| — |  | Lee Ju-ho 이주호 李周浩 (born 1961) Acting | 2 May 2025[l] | 3 June 2025 | 32 days | Independent | — |
| 14 | | Lee Jae Myung 이재명 李在明 (born 1963) | 4 June 2025 | Incumbent | 29 days | Democratic | 21st (2025) |
| Ideology | # | Time in office | Name(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 9 | 21765 days | Choi Kyu-hah,Chun Doo-hwan,Kim Young-sam,Lee Myung-bak,Park Chung Hee,Park Geun-hye,Roh Tae-woo,Syngman Rhee, andYoon Suk Yeol | |
| Liberal | 5 | 6097 days[m] | Kim Dae-jung,Moon Jae-in,Roh Moo-hyun,Yun Po-sun, andLee Jae Myung | |
| Provisional Governments (Pre-Union)(1919) | Syngman Rhee (Seoul) • Syngman Rhee (Shanghai) •Yi Tongnyŏng (Shanghai) •Ahn Chang Ho (Shanghai) •Yi Tonghwi (Shanghai) •Mun Ch'angpŏm [ko] (Vladivostok) | |
|---|---|---|
| Provisional Government(1919–1948) | Syngman Rhee‡ •Yi Tongnyŏng •Pak Ŭnsik •Yi Yup'il [ko] •Yi Sangnyong •Yang Kit'ak •Yi Tongnyŏng • Ahn Chang Ho • Yi Tongnyŏng •Hong Chin •Kim Ku • Yi Tongnyŏng •Song Pyŏngjo [ko] • Yi Tongnyŏng • Kim Ku • Syngman Rhee | |
| First Republic(1948–1960) | Syngman Rhee •Ho Chong | |
| Second Republic(1960–1961) | ||
| Military Junta(1961–1963) | ||
| Third Republic(1963–1972) | Park Chung Hee | |
| Fourth Republic(1972–1981) | ||
| Fifth Republic(1981–1988) | Chun Doo-hwan | |
| Sixth Republic(1988–present) | ||
Italics indicate an acting president • † Impeached, but restored to office • ‡ Impeached and removed from office | ||
