List of presidents of South Korea facts for kids
- Top left: Syngman Rhee became South Korea's first president in 1948.
- Top right: Park Chung Hee was president for the longest time, starting after a coup in 1961.
- Bottom left: Roh Tae-woo was the first president directly chosen by voters under the democratic rules in 1987.
- Bottom right: Lee Ju-ho is currently the acting president.
The President of South Korea is like the main leader of the government and the commander-in-chief (top boss) of the South Korean military.
Contents
The Start of the Presidency
The current South Korean government sees the Korean Provisional Government (KPG) as its early beginning. The KPG was set up in 1919 in Shanghai as a government-in-exile (a government operating from outside its country) when Japan ruled Korea. It had nine different leaders between 1919 and 1948.
How Presidents Are Chosen and Their Terms
Under the 1988 Constitution, a president serves for five years and cannot be re-elected. To become president, a person must be a South Korean citizen, at least 40 years old, and have lived in South Korea for at least five years.
The rules for how long a president serves and if they can be re-elected have changed over time:
- In the First Republic (1948-1960), a president served four years and could only serve two terms. This two-term limit was removed in 1954.
- During the Second Republic (1960-1963), the president's role became more ceremonial, chosen by lawmakers for five-year terms.
- The Third Republic (1963-1972) brought back direct elections for a four-year term, and the two-term limit was removed again in 1969.
- Under the Yushin Constitution of the Fourth Republic (1972-1981), presidents were chosen indirectly for six-year terms, with no limits on how many times they could be re-elected.
- The Fifth Republic (1981-1988) changed the term to seven years, still with indirect elections, but only one term was allowed.
Presidents Through History
As of 2024, thirteen people have served as the full president of South Korea since the office officially began on July 24, 1948, when Syngman Rhee took office.
Park Chung Hee was the longest-serving president, holding the office for 18 years from a military takeover in 1961 until his death in 1979. He ruled with a firm hand during this time.
The first and only woman to be president was Park Geun-hye, who was elected in 2012. She was later removed from office in 2017 after a legal process called impeachment was confirmed by the Constitutional Court of Korea.
Yoon Suk Yeol became president on May 10, 2022. His powers were suspended on December 14, 2024, after the National Assembly started an impeachment process following his declaration of martial law. The Constitutional Court confirmed his removal on April 4, 2025.
During the suspension of his powers, the Prime Minister acted as president. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was also suspended from acting president duties on December 27, 2024, and was replaced by deputy prime minister Choi Sang-mok, who became acting president. Han Duck-soo was reinstated on March 24, 2025, but resigned on May 1, and deputy prime minister Lee Ju-ho took over as acting president. The next president will be chosen in an election on June 3, 2025.
Who Has Been President?
Here's a list of the presidents of South Korea. Sometimes, an "acting" president steps in temporarily if the president can't do their job.
Political Parties |
---|
Conservative (like the current People Power Party) Liberal (like the current Democratic Party) Military Independent (not part of a major party) |
Status |
Means "acting" president |
No. | Picture | Name (Born–Died) |
Time in Office | Political Party | Election | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Started | Finished | How long | |||||
Leaders during 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 | 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 the Second 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 | ![]() |
Yun Po-sun 윤보선 尹潽善 (1897–1990) |
13 August 1960 | 16 May 1961 | 276 days | Democratic | 4th (August 1960) |
Leaders under the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction (SCNR) | |||||||
(2) | ![]() |
Yun Po-sun 윤보선 尹潽善 (1897–1990) |
16 May 1961 | 24 March 1962 | 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 the Third Republic | |||||||
3 | ![]() |
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 the Fourth Republic | |||||||
(3) | ![]() |
Park Chung Hee 박정희 朴正熙 (1917–1979) |
21 November 1972 | 26 October 1979 | 6 years, 339 days | Democratic Republican | 8th (1972)
9th (1978) |
— | ![]() |
Choi Kyu-hah 최규하 崔圭夏 (1919–2006) |
26 October 1979 | 6 December 1979 | 41 days | Independent | — |
4 | 6 December 1979 | 16 August 1980 | 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 | 176 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 | 6 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 | 4 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 | 4 years | 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 | National Congress
Millennium Democratic Independent |
15th (1997) |
9 | ![]() |
Roh Moo-hyun 노무현 盧武鉉 (1946–2009) |
25 February 2003 | 12 March 2004 | 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 | Grand National
Saenuri |
17th (2007) |
11 | ![]() |
Park Geun-hye 박근혜 朴槿惠 (born 1952) |
25 February 2013 | 10 March 2017 | 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 | ![]() |
Moon Jae-in 문재인 文在寅 (born 1953) |
10 May 2017 | 9 May 2022 | 4 years | Democratic | 19th (2017) |
13 | ![]() |
Yoon Suk Yeol 윤석열 尹錫悅 (born 1960) |
10 May 2022 | 4 April 2025 | 2 years, 329 days | People Power | 20th (2022) |
— | ![]() |
Han Duck-soo 한덕수 韓悳洙 (born 1949) Acting |
14 December 2024 | 27 December 2024 | 13 days | Independent | — |
— | ![]() |
Choi Sang-mok 최상목 崔相穆 (born 1963) Acting |
27 December 2024 | 24 March 2025 | 87 days | Independent | — |
— | ![]() |
Han Duck-soo 한덕수 韓悳洙 (born 1949) Acting |
24 March 2025 | 1 May 2025 | 38 days | Independent | — |
— | ![]() |
Lee Ju-ho 이주호 李周浩 (born 1961) Acting |
2 May 2025 | Incumbent | 32 days | Independent | — |
Timeline of South Korean Presidents

Political Group | # | 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, 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 |
---|
![]() |
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Presidentes de Corea del Sur para niños
- 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