President of South Korea

The President of the Republic of Korea is the head of state, leader of the executive of the South Korean government and the commander-in-chief of the South Korean Armed Forces.

President of the Republic of Korea
대한민국 대통령
大韓民國大統領
Seal of the President of the Republic of Korea.svg
Flag of the President of South Korea.svg
Lee Jae-myung, 2021 (cropped 1).jpg
Incumbent
Lee Jae-myung

since 4 June 2025
Executive branch of the Government of South Korea
Office of the President
Style
Status
Member of
ResidencePresidential Residence of South Korea
SeatSeoul
AppointerDirect popular vote
Term lengthFive years,
Non renewable
Constituting instrumentConstitution of South Korea (1948)
PrecursorPresident of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
Formation24 July 1948; 77 years ago (1948-07-24)
First holderSyngman Rhee
Unofficial namesPresident of South Korea
DeputyPrime Minister of South Korea
Salary₩240,648,000/USD$ 165,084 annually (2024)[1]
WebsiteOfficial website (in English)
Official website (in Korean)

The president is directly elected by the people to a five-year term, with no possibility of re-election.[2] While in office, the chief executive lives in Cheong Wa Dae (the "Blue House").

If the National Assembly votes against a presidential decision, it will be declared void immediately.

Powers and duties of the president

The president is required to:

List of presidents

Living former presidents

As of December 2025, four former presidents are alive:

Image Name Term of office Age
Lee Myung-bak 2013-01-29.jpg Lee Myung-bak 2008–2013 83 years, 352 days
제22차 국가과학기술자문회의 -무인 이동체 및 엔지니어링 산업발전 전략보고회- (10) (cropped).jpg Park Geun-hye 2013–2017 73 years, 307 days
Moon Jae-in on 2019-04-11 face detail, from- Secretary Pompeo meets with Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in (33709604378) (cropped) (cropped).jpg Moon Jae-in 2017–2022 72 years, 328 days
20230316korea 10 (cropped).jpg Yoon Suk Yeol 2022–2025 64 years, 353 days

The longest-lived President was Yun Bo-seon, who died on July 18, 1990 (at the age of 92 years, 326 days).

The most recent President to die was Chun Doo-hwan, who died on November 23, 2021.

President Of South Korea Media

References

Other websites