List of presidents of South Korea

To avoid confusion, all the names on this list follow the Eastern order convention (family name first, given name second) for consistency.

Presidential standard and seal of the president of the Republic of Korea

* Top left: Rhee Syng-man became the first president of the Republic of Korea in 1948.
* Top right: Park Chung Hee was the longest-serving president, taking power during the 1961 coup d'etat, sometimes named the Tiger of Yushin Constitution in the 1970s.
* Bottom left: Kim Dae-jung was elected during the 1997 presidential election. This was the first peaceful transfer of power in South Korean history.
* Bottom right: Han Duck-soo is the incumbent acting president.

The president of the Republic of Korea serves as the chief executive of the government of the Republic of Korea and the commander-in-chief of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.

The South Korean government constitutionally considers the Korean Provisional Government (KPG) to be its predecessor.[1] The KPG was established in 1919 as a government in exile in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation of Korea. It had nine different heads of state between September 1919 and August 1948.

Under the 1988 Constitution of the Sixth 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term was previously set at four years during the First Republic from 1948 to 1960, including a two-term limit that was repealed in 1954.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 the Second Republic from 1960 to 1963. The Third Republic returned the presidency to a directly-elected position with a four-year term in 1963 and repealed the two-term limit in 1969.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 the Yushin Constitution of the Fourth 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 the Fifth Republic in 1981, which retained the indirect elections but prohibited a second term.[3]

As of 2024[update], thirteen people have served in full capacity as president of South Korea[4] since the office was formally established on 24 July 1948, when Syngman Rhee took office after being elected by the Constituent National Assembly.[3] The longest-serving president is Park Chung Hee, who held the office for 18 years from a 1961 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 daughter Park Geun-hye, who was elected in 2012 and removed from office in 2017 after her impeachment was upheld by the Constitutional Court of Korea.[3][6] Yoon Suk Yeol assumed office on 10 May 2022 and was impeached by the National Assembly on 14 December 2024.[7] His powers will remain suspended until a Constitutional Court decision upholds or rejects the impeachment; until then, the prime minister served as acting president. The prime minister, Han Duck-soo, was himself impeached from the acting presidency on 27 December 2024 and replaced by deputy prime minister Choi Sang-mok, who became acting president.[8] Han Duck-soo was reinstated by the Constitutional Court on 24 March 2025.[9]

## List of presidents

[edit]

Political parties

Conservative (current People Power Party)

Liberal (current Democratic Party)

Military

Independent

Status

Denotes acting president

No. | Portrait  | Name
(Birth–Death) | Term of office  | Political party  | Election

|
|
|
|
|

Took office  | Left office  | Time in office
Presidents of the First Republic
1  |  | Syngman Rhee
이승만
李承晩
(1875–1965) | 24 July 1948  | 26 April 1960[a] | 11 years, 277 days  | NARRKI

* * *

Liberal | 1st (1948)

* * *

2nd (1952)

* * *

3rd (1956)

* * *

March 1960
—  |  | Ho Chong

(1896–1988)
Acting | 27 April 1960  | 15 June 1960  | 50 days  | Independent | —
Presidents of the Second Republic
—  |  | Ho Chong

(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

(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  |  | Yun Po-sun
윤보선
尹潽善
(1897–1990) | 13 August 1960  | 16 May 1961  | 277 days  | Democratic  | 4th (August 1960)
Presidents of 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  | —
—  |  | 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 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  |  | 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)
—  |  | Goh Kun

(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  |  | 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] | Incumbent | 21 days  | Independent  | —

## Timeline

[edit]

Ideology  | # | Time in office  | Name(s)

|
|
|

| Conservative | 9  | 21765 days[k] | Choi Kyu-hah, Chun Doo-hwan, Kim Young-sam, Lee Myung-bak, Park Chung Hee, Park Geun-hye, Roh Tae-woo, Syngman Rhee, and Yoon Suk Yeol
| Liberal | 4  | 6067 days  | Kim Dae-jung, Moon Jae-in, Roh Moo-hyun, and Yun Po-sun

Timeline of South Korean governments

* v
* t
* e

## See also

[edit]

* South Korea portal

* Government of South Korea
* Lifespan timeline of presidents of South Korea
* List of monarchs of Korea
* List of presidents of South Korea by time in office
* List of presidents of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
* List of prime ministers of South Korea
* Presidential elections in South Korea
* Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
* Vice President of South Korea

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Rhee resigned following the April Revolution.
2. ^ Yun resigned in the aftermath of the May 16 coup.
3. ^ Park was assassinated by KCIA director Kim Jae-gyu.
4. ^ Chun Doo-hwan became de facto leader of the country in the aftermath of the Coup d'état of December Twelfth.
5. ^ Choi resigned in the aftermath of the Coup d'état of May Seventeenth.
6. ^ a b 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.[10]
7. ^ a b 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.[11][12]
8. ^ a b 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.[13]
9. ^ a b 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.[14]
10. ^ a b Han Duck-soo was reinstated by the Constitutional Court on 24 March 2025.[9]
11. ^ As of 13 April 2025.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Myers, Brian Reynolds (21 February 2018). "Constitutional Reform and Inter-Korean Relations: Part 2". Sthele Press. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
2. ^ "Constitution of the Republic of Korea". Government of South Korea. Retrieved 5 December 2024 - via United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
3. ^ a b c d Yap, Fiona (2019). "Term Limits in South Korea: Promises and Perils". In Baturo, Alexander; Elgie, Robert (eds.). The Politics of Presidential Term Limits. London: Oxford University Press. pp. 451–458\. doi:10.1093/oso/9780198837404.003.0022. ISBN 9780198837404. OCLC 1076408966.
4. ^ Morris-Grant, Brianna (3 December 2024). "South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol could be facing impeachment after martial law declaration — here's what that process looks like". ABC News. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
5. ^ Gan, Nectar (4 December 2024). "The troubled history of martial law, coups and toppled presidents many hoped South Korea had left behind". CNN. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
6. ^ Choe Sang-hun (9 March 2017). "South Korea Removes President Park Geun-hye". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
7. ^ "Profile – Yoon Suk Yeol – President of the Republic of Korea". Office of the President - Republic of Korea. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
8. ^ Harvey, Lex; Seo, Yoonjung; Bae, Gawon (27 December 2024). "South Korean parliament votes to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo". CNN. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
9. ^ a b "South Korea court reinstates PM as acting leader". BBC. 27 December 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
10. ^ Faiola, Anthony (13 May 2004). "Court Rejects S. Korean President's Impeachment". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
11. ^ Choe Sang-hun (9 March 2017). "South Korea Removes President Park Geun-hye". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
12. ^ "Timeline: South Korea's impeached President Park Geun-hye". Reuters. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
13. ^ Jessie Yeung, Gawon Bae and Yoonjung Seo (14 December 2024). "South Korea's parliament votes to impeach president over martial law debacle". CNN. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
14. ^ "South Korea votes to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo". BBC. 27 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.

* v
* t
* e

Presidents of South Korea (list)

Provisional Governments (Pre-Union) (1919)|

Syngman Rhee (Seoul) • Syngman Rhee (Shanghai) • Yi Dong-nyeong (Shanghai) • Ahn Chang Ho (Shanghai) • Yi Dong-hwi (Shanghai) • Moon Chang-bum (Vladivostok)

Provisional Government (1919–1948)|

Syngman Rhee‡ • Yi Dong-nyeong • Park Eun-sik • Lee Yu-pil • Yi Sang-ryong • Yang Gi-tak • Yi Dong-nyeong • Ahn Chang Ho • Yi Dong-nyeong • Hong Jin • Kim Ku • Yi Dong-nyeong • Song Byung-jo • Yi Dong-nyeong • Kim Ku • Syngman Rhee

First Republic (1948-1960)|

Syngman Rhee • Ho Chong

Second Republic (1960-1961)|

Kwak Sang-hoon • Ho Chong • Baek Nak-jun • Yun Po-sun

Military Junta (1961-1963)|

Park Chung Hee

Third Republic (1963-1972)|

Park Chung Hee

Fourth Republic (1972-1981)|

Park Chung Hee • Choi Kyu-hah • Park Choong-hoon • Chun Doo-hwan

Fifth Republic (1981-1988)|

Chun Doo-hwan

Sixth Republic (1988-present)|

Roh Tae-woo • Kim Young-sam • Kim Dae-jung • Roh Moo-hyun† • Goh Kun • Lee Myung-bak • Park Geun-hye‡ • Hwang Kyo-ahn • Moon Jae-in • Yoon Suk Yeol‡ • Han Duck-soo† • Choi Sang-mok • Han Duck-soo

Italics indicate an acting president • † Impeached, but restored to office • ‡ Impeached and removed from office
*[No.]: Number
*[#]: Number of presidents
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