List of presidents of South Korea
This is a list of the presidents of South Korea.
Since the creation of the Government of the Republic of Korea which is commonly known as South Korea in 1948, twelve people have served nineteen terms as President of South Korea. The president is the country's head of state as well as its head of government. The president is also the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.
List of presidents
| Political parties |
|---|
Conservative (current People Power Party) Liberal (current Democratic Party) <span style="border:1px solid #AAAAAA; background-color:Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Political party/M' not found.; color:Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Political party/M' not found."> Military Independent |
| Status |
| Denotes acting president |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Political party | Election | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| President under the United 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 the First Republic | |||||||
| (1) |
|
Syngman Rhee 이승만 李承晩 (1875–1965) |
15 August 1948 | 26 April 1960[a] | 11 years, 255 days | NARRKI Liberal |
2nd (1952) 3rd (1956) March 1960 |
| — | 
|
Ho Chong 허정 許政 (1896–1988) Acting |
27 April 1960 | 15 June 1960 | 50 days | Independent | — |
| Presidents of the Second Republic | |||||||
| — |
|
Ho Chong 허정 許政 (1896–1988) Acting |
15 June 1960 | 15 June 1960 | 1 day | 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 | 46 days | Independent | — |
| — | 
|
Baek Nak-jun 백낙준 白樂濬 (1895–1985) Acting |
8 August 1960 | 12 August 1960 | 5 days | — | |
| 2 | .jpg)
|
Yun Po-sun 윤보선 尹潽善 (1897–1990) |
13 August 1960 | 16 May 1961 | 277 days | Democratic | 4th (August 1960) |
| Presidents under the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction (SCNR) | |||||||
| (2) |
|
Yun Po-sun 윤보선 尹潽善 (1897–1990) |
16 May 1961 | 24 March 1962[b] | 313 days | Democratic New Democratic |
— |
| — | _Presidential_Portrait.jpg)
|
General Park Chung Hee 박정희 朴正熙 (1917–1979) Chairman of the SCNR |
24 March 1962 | 17 December 1963 | 1 year, 269 days | Military Democratic Republican |
— |
| President of the Third Republic | |||||||
| 3 |
|
Park Chung Hee 박정희 朴正熙 (1917–1979) |
17 December 1963 | 21 November 1972 | 8 years, 341 days | Democratic Republican | 5th (1963) 6th (1967) 7th (1971) |
| Presidents of the Fourth Republic | |||||||
| (3) |
|
Park Chung Hee 박정희 朴正熙 (1917–1979) |
21 November 1972 | 26 October 1979[c] | 6 years, 340 days | Democratic Republican | 8th (1972) 9th (1978) |
| — | _Choi.jpg)
|
Choi Kyu-hah 최규하 崔圭夏 (1919–2006) |
26 October 1979 | 6 December 1979 | 42 days | Independent | — |
| 4 | 6 December 1979[d] | 16 August 1980[e] | 255 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 | 177 days | Military (Hanahoe) Democratic Justice (Hanahoe) |
11th (1980) |
| President of the Fifth Republic | |||||||
| (5) |
|
Chun Doo-hwan 전두환 全斗煥 (1931–2021) |
25 February 1981 | 24 February 1988 | 7 years | Democratic Justice (Hanahoe) |
12th (1981) |
| Presidents of the Sixth Republic | |||||||
| 6 | 
|
Roh Tae-woo 노태우 盧泰愚 (1932–2021) |
25 February 1988 | 24 February 1993 | 5 years | 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 | 5 years | Democratic Liberal New Korea Independent |
14th (1992) |
| 8 | 
|
Kim Dae-jung 김대중 金大中 (1924–2009) |
25 February 1998 | 24 February 2003 | 5 years | 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, 17 days | Millennium Democratic Independent |
16th (2002) |
| — | .jpg)
|
Goh Kun 고건 高建 (born 1938) Acting |
12 March 2004[f] | 14 May 2004 | 64 days | Millennium Democratic | — |
| (9) |
|
Roh Moo-hyun 노무현 盧武鉉 (1946–2009) |
14 May 2004 | 24 February 2008 | 3 years, 287 days | Uri Independent |
— |
| 10 | 
|
Lee Myung-bak 이명박 李明博 (born 1941) |
25 February 2008 | 24 February 2013 | 5 years | Grand National Saenuri |
17th (2007) |
| 11 | 
|
Park Geun-hye 박근혜 朴槿惠 (born 1952) |
25 February 2013 | 10 March 2017[g] | 4 years, 14 days | Saenuri Liberty Korea |
18th (2012) |
| — | 
|
Hwang Kyo-ahn 황교안 黃敎安 (born 1957) Acting |
9 December 2016[g] | 9 May 2017 | 152 days | Independent | — |
| 12 | .jpg)
|
Moon Jae-in 문재인 文在寅 (born 1953) |
10 May 2017 | 9 May 2022 | 5 years | Democratic | 19th (2017) |
| 13 | 
|
Yoon Suk Yeol 윤석열 尹錫悅 (born 1960) |
10 May 2022 | 4 April 2025[h] | 2 years, 330 days | People Power | 20th (2022) |
| — | 
|
Han Duck-soo 한덕수 韓悳洙 (born 1949) Acting |
14 December 2024[h] | 27 December 2024[i] | 14 days | Independent | — |
| — | 
|
Choi Sang-mok 최상목 崔相穆 (born 1963) Acting |
27 December 2024[i] | 24 March 2025[j] | 88 days | Independent | — |
| — |
|
Han Duck-soo 한덕수 韓悳洙 (born 1949) Acting |
24 March 2025[j] | 1 May 2025[k] | 39 days | Independent | — |
| — | 
|
Lee Ju-ho 이주호 李周浩 (born 1961) Acting |
2 May 2025[l] | 4 June 2025 | 34 days | Independent | — |
| 14 | .jpg)
|
Lee Jae-myung 이재명 李在明 (born 1963) |
4 June 2025 | Incumbent | 0 years | Democratic | 21st (2025) |
List Of Presidents Of South Korea Media
Official Portrait of Park Chung-hee, the 3rd President of the Republic of Korea
Notes
- ↑ Rhee resigned following the April Revolution.
- ↑ Yun resigned in the aftermath of the May 16 coup.
- ↑ Park was assassinated by KCIA director Kim Jae-gyu.
- ↑ Chun Doo-hwan became de facto leader of the country in the aftermath of the Coup d'état of December Twelfth.
- ↑ Choi resigned in the aftermath of the Coup d'état of May Seventeenth.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Roh Moo-hyun was impeached by the National Assembly on 12 March 2004. Powers and duties were assumed by prime minister Goh Kun as acting president. Roh resumed his powers and duties on 14 May 2004, after the Constitutional Court struck down the motion to impeach.[1]
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Park Geun-hye was impeached by the National Assembly on 9 December 2016. Powers and duties were assumed by prime minister Hwang Kyo-ahn as acting president. Park was removed from office after the impeachment was upheld by the Constitutional Court on 10 March 2017.[2][3]
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the National Assembly on 14 December 2024. Powers and duties were assumed by prime minister Han Duck-soo as acting president. Yoon was removed from office after the impeachment was upheld by the Constitutional Court on 4 April 2025.[4]
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Han Duck-soo assumed the role as acting president upon the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol, but Han himself was impeached by the National Assembly on 27 December 2024. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok, who is next in line to the succession took over both powers and duties as acting president and acting prime Minister.[5]
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Han Duck-soo was reinstated by the Constitutional Court on 24 March 2025.[6]
- ↑ Han resigned to run for president in the 2025 South Korean presidential election.
- ↑ Choi Sang-mok was initially expected to assume the acting presidency and prime ministership again on 2 May, but he resigned on 1 May to avoid an impeachment vote by the National Assembly.[7]
References
- ↑ Faiola, Anthony (13 May 2004). "Court Rejects S. Korean President's Impeachment". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/05/14/court-rejects-s-korean-presidents-impeachment/917ed896-e2a3-4b62-ae16-b41d3d232f7f/. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ↑ Choe Sang-hun (9 March 2017). "South Korea Removes President Park Geun-hye". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/world/asia/park-geun-hye-impeached-south-korea.html. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ↑ Timeline: South Korea's impeached President Park Geun-hye. Reuters. 30 March 2017. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/timeline-south-koreas-impeached-president-park-geun-hye-idUSKBN1710MC/. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ↑ Jessie Yeung, Gawon Bae and Yoonjung Seo (14 December 2024). "South Korea's parliament votes to impeach president over martial law debacle". CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/14/asia/south-korea-yoon-second-impeachment-hnk-intl/index.html. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ↑ "South Korea votes to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo". BBC. 27 December 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj30234e0djo. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ↑ "South Korea court reinstates PM as acting leader". BBC. 27 December 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c625jkyrx6do. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ↑ 민경락. "[2보] 최상목 경제부총리, 탄핵안 상정 직후 사의 표명". n.news.naver.com (in 한국어). Retrieved 2025-05-01.