List of prime ministers of South Korea facts for kids

The Prime Minister of South Korea is a very important leader in the country. They are the second most powerful person after the President. The Prime Minister helps the President manage the government and make sure everything runs smoothly. They lead the Cabinet, which is a group of top government officials.

This article lists all the people who have served as Prime Minister of South Korea since the country was founded in 1948. Their names are listed with their family name first, which is a common way to write names in Korea.

Who are the Prime Ministers?

Here is a list of the Prime Ministers of South Korea. You can see when they started and finished their job, and which political group they belonged to.

No.	Picture	Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office			Political Group	President
			Started	Ended	How long they served
Prime Minister during the United States Army Military Government in Korea (Before South Korea was fully independent)
1		Lee Beom-seok 이범석 李範奭 (1900–1972)	31 July 1948	15 August 1948	15 days	Korean National Youth Association	Rhee Syng-man
Prime Ministers of the First Republic (1948-1960)
(1)		Lee Beom-seok 이범석 李範奭 (1900–1972)	15 August 1948	20 April 1950	1 year, 248 days	Korean National Youth Association Independent	Rhee Syng-man
—		Shin Song-mo 신성모 申性模 (1891–1960) Acting	21 April 1950	22 November 1950	215 days	Independent
2		Chang Myon 장면 張勉 (1899–1966)	23 November 1950	23 April 1952	1 year, 152 days	Liberal
—		Ho Chong 허정 許政 (1896–1988) Acting	6 November 1951	9 April 1952	155 days	Independent
—		Yi Yun-yong 이윤영 李允榮 (1890–1975) Acting	24 April 1952	5 May 1952	11 days	Independent
3		Chang Taek-sang 장택상 張澤相 (1893–1969)	6 May 1952	5 October 1952	152 days	Independent
4		Paik Too-chin 백두진 白斗鎭 (1908–1993)	9 October 1952	17 June 1954	1 year, 251 days	Independent
5		Pyon Yong-tae 변영태 卞榮泰 (1892–1969)	27 June 1954	28 November 1954	154 days	Independent
—		Baek Han-seong 백한성 白汉成 (1899–1971) Acting	18 November 1954	28 November 1954	10 days	Independent
The Prime Minister job was removed for a while (28 November 1954 – 27 April 1960)
—		Ho Chong 허정 許政 (1896–1988) Acting	25 April 1960	15 June 1960	51 days	Independent	Rhee Syng-man Ho Chong (acting)
Prime Ministers of the Second Republic (1960-1963)
6		Ho Chong 허정 許政 (1896–1988)	15 June 1960	18 August 1960	64 days	Independent	Yun Posun
7 (2)		Chang Myon 장면 張勉 (1899–1966)	19 August 1960	16 May 1961	270 days	Democratic
Chief Cabinet Ministers during a time of military rule (1961-1963)
(7) (2)		Chang Myon 장면 張勉 (1899–1966)	16 May 1961	17 May 1961	1 day	Democratic	Yun Posun
—		Army Chief Jang Do-young 장도영 張都暎 (1923–2012)	20 May 1961	3 July 1961	44 days	Military
—		Army Chief Song Yo-chan 송요찬 宋堯讚 (1918–1980)	3 July 1961	16 June 1962	348 days	Military
—		General Park Chung Hee 박정희 朴正熙 (1917–1979)	18 June 1962	10 July 1962	22 days	Military	Park Chung Hee (acting)
—		Kim Hyun-chul 김현철 金顯哲 (1901–1989)	10 July 1962	17 December 1963	1 year, 160 days	Independent
Prime Ministers of the Third Republic (1963-1972)
8		Choi Tu-son 최두선 崔斗善 (1894–1974)	17 December 1963	9 May 1964	144 days	Independent	Park Chung Hee
9		Chung Il-kwon 정일권 丁一權 (1917–1994)	10 May 1964	20 December 1970	6 years, 224 days	Independent
10 (4)		Paik Too-chin 백두진 白斗鎭 (1908–1993)	21 December 1970	3 June 1971	164 days	Democratic Republican
11		Kim Jong-pil 김종필 金鍾泌 (1926–2018)	4 June 1971	21 November 1972	1 year, 170 days	Democratic Republican
Prime Ministers of the Fourth Republic (1972-1981)
11 (continued)		Kim Jong-pil 김종필 金鍾泌 (1926–2018)	21 November 1972	18 December 1975	3 years, 27 days	Democratic Republican	Park Chung-hee
12		Choi Kyu-hah 최규하 崔圭夏 (1919–2006)	19 December 1975	5 December 1979	3 years, 351 days	Independent
13		Shin Hyun-hwak 신현확 申鉉碻 (1920–2007)	13 December 1979	21 May 1980	160 days	Democratic Republican	Choi Kyu-hah Park Choong-hoon (acting)
—		Park Choong-hoon 박충훈 朴忠勳 (1919–2001) Acting	22 May 1980	1 September 1980	102 days	Democratic Republican
14		Nam Duck-woo 남덕우 南德祐 (1924–2013)	2 September 1980	2 March 1981	181 days	Independent	Chun Doo-hwan
Prime Ministers of the Fifth Republic (1981-1988)
14 (continued)		Nam Duck-woo 남덕우 南德祐 (1924–2013)	3 March 1981	3 January 1982	306 days	Independent	Chun Doo-hwan
15		Yoo Chang-soon 유창순 劉彰順 (1918–2010)	4 January 1982	24 June 1982	171 days	Independent
16		Kim Sang-hyup 김상협 金相浹 (1920–1995)	25 June 1982	14 October 1983	1 year, 111 days	Independent
17		Chin Iee-chong 진의종 陳懿鍾 (1921–1995)	15 October 1983	18 February 1985	1 year, 126 days	Democratic Justice
—		Shin Byung-hyun [ko] 신병현 申秉鉉 (1921–1999) Acting	11 November 1984	18 February 1985	99 days	Democratic Justice
18		Lho Shin-yong 노신영 盧信永 (1930–2019)	19 February 1985	25 May 1987	2 years, 95 days	Democratic Justice
—		Lee Han-key [ko] 이한기 李漢基 (1917–1995) Acting	26 May 1987	13 July 1987	48 days	Independent
19		Kim Chung-yul 김정렬 金貞烈 (1917–1992)	14 July 1987	24 February 1988	225 days	Independent
Prime Ministers of the Sixth Republic (1988-Present)
20		Lee Hyun-jae 이현재 李賢宰 (born 1929)	25 February 1988	4 December 1988	283 days	Independent	Roh Tae-woo
21		Kang Young-hoon 강영훈 姜英勛 (1922–2016)	5 December 1988	26 December 1990	2 years, 21 days	Democratic Justice → Democratic Liberal
22		Ro Jai-bong 노재봉 盧在鳳 (1936–2024)	27 December 1990	23 May 1991	147 days	Democratic Liberal
23		Chung Won-shik 정원식 鄭元植 (1928–2020)	24 May 1991	7 October 1992	1 year, 136 days	Independent
24		Hyun Soong-jong 현승종 玄勝鍾 (1919–2020)	8 October 1992	24 February 1993	139 days	Independent
25		Hwang In-sung 황인성 黃寅性 (1926–2010)	25 February 1993	16 December 1993	294 days	Democratic Liberal	Kim Young-sam
26		Lee Hoi-chang 이회창 李會昌 (born 1935)	17 December 1993	21 April 1994	125 days	Independent
27		Lee Yung-dug 이영덕 李榮徳 (1926–2010)	22 April 1994	16 December 1994	238 days	Independent
28		Lee Hong-koo 이홍구 李洪九 (born 1934)	17 December 1994	17 December 1995	1 year, 0 days	Independent
29		Lee Soo-sung 이수성 李壽成 (born 1939)	18 December 1995	4 March 1997	1 year, 76 days	New Korea
30		Goh Kun 고건 高建 (born 1938)	5 March 1997	2 March 1998	362 days	New Korea → Grand National
31 (11)		Kim Jong-pil 김종필 金鍾泌 (1926–2018)	3 March 1998	12 January 2000	1 year, 315 days	United Liberal Democrats	Kim Dae-jung
32		Park Tae-joon 박태준 朴泰俊 (1927–2011)	13 January 2000	18 May 2000	126 days	United Liberal Democrats
—		Lee Hun-jai 이헌재 李憲宰 (born 1944) Acting	19 May 2000	22 May 2000	3 days	Independent
33		Lee Han-dong 이한동 李漢東 (1934–2021)	23 May 2000	10 July 2002	2 years, 48 days	United Liberal Democrats
—		Chang Sang 장상 張裳 (born 1939) Acting	11 July 2002	31 July 2002	20 days	Independent
—		Jeon Yun-churl [ko] 전윤철 田允喆 (born 1939) Acting	31 July 2002	9 August 2002	9 days	Independent
—		Chang Dae-whan 장대환 張大煥 (born 1952) Acting	9 August 2002	10 September 2002	32 days	Independent
34		Kim Suk-soo 김석수 金碩洙 (born 1932)	10 September 2002	26 February 2003	169 days	Independent
35 (30)		Goh Kun 고건 高建 (born 1938)	27 February 2003	24 July 2004	1 year, 148 days	Independent	Roh Moo-hyun
—		Lee Hun-jai 이헌재 李憲宰 (born 1944) Acting	25 July 2004	30 July 2004	5 days	Independent
36		Lee Hae-chan 이해찬 李海瓚 (born 1952)	30 July 2004	15 March 2006	1 year, 228 days	Uri
—		Han Duck-soo 한덕수 韓悳洙 (born 1949) Acting	16 March 2006	19 April 2006	34 days	Independent
37		Han Myeong-sook 한명숙 韓明淑 (born 1944)	20 April 2006	6 March 2007	320 days	Uri
—		Kwon O-kyu [ko] 권오규 權五奎 (born 1952) Acting	7 March 2007	2 April 2007	26 days	Independent
38		Han Duck-soo 한덕수 韓悳洙 (born 1949)	2 April 2007	29 February 2008	333 days	Independent
39		Han Seung-soo 한승수 韓昇洙 (born 1936)	29 February 2008	28 September 2009	1 year, 212 days	Grand National	Lee Myung-bak
40		Chung Un-chan 정운찬 鄭雲燦 (born 1947)	29 September 2009	11 August 2010	316 days	Independent
—		Yoon Jeung-hyun 윤증현 尹增鉉 (born 1946) Acting	11 August 2010	1 October 2010	51 days	Grand National
41		Kim Hwang-sik 김황식 金滉植 (born 1948)	1 October 2010	26 February 2013	2 years, 148 days	Independent
42		Chung Hong-won 정홍원 鄭烘原 (born 1944)	26 February 2013	16 February 2015	1 year, 355 days	Independent	Park Geun-hye
43		Lee Wan-koo 이완구 李完九 (1950–2021)	17 February 2015	27 April 2015	69 days	Saenuri
—		Choi Kyoung-hwan 최경환 崔炅煥 (born 1955) Acting	27 April 2015	18 June 2015	52 days	Saenuri
44		Hwang Kyo-ahn 황교안 黃敎安 (born 1957)	17 June 2015	11 May 2017	1 year, 328 days	Independent
							Hwang Kyo-ahn (acting)
—		Yoo Il-ho 유일호 柳一鎬 (born 1955) Acting	11 May 2017	31 May 2017	20 days	Liberty Korea	Moon Jae-in
45		Lee Nak-yon 이낙연 李洛淵 (born 1951)	31 May 2017	14 January 2020	2 years, 228 days	Democratic
46		Chung Sye-kyun 정세균 丁世均 (born 1950)	14 January 2020	16 April 2021	1 year, 92 days	Democratic
—		Hong Nam-ki 홍남기 洪楠基 (born 1960) Acting	16 April 2021	13 May 2021	27 days	Independent
47		Kim Boo-kyum 김부겸 金富謙 (born 1958)	14 May 2021	11 May 2022	362 days	Democratic
—		Choo Kyung-ho 추경호 秋慶鎬 (born 1960) Acting	12 May 2022	20 May 2022	8 days	People Power	Yoon Suk Yeol
48 (38)		Han Duck-soo 한덕수 韓悳洙 (born 1949)	21 May 2022	27 December 2024	2 years, 220 days	Independent
—		Choi Sang-mok 최상목 崔相穆 (born 1963) Acting	27 December 2024	24 March 2025	87 days	Independent
48 (38)		Han Duck-soo 한덕수 韓悳洙 (born 1949)	24 March 2025	1 May 2025	38 days	Independent	Han Duck-soo (acting)
—		Lee Ju-ho 이주호 李周浩 (born 1961) Acting	2 May 2025	3 July 2025	62 days	Independent	Lee Ju-ho (acting)
49		Kim Min-seok 김민석 金民錫 (born 1964)	3 July 2025	Incumbent	57 days	Democratic	Lee Jae Myung

Images for kids

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  Standard of the Prime Minister

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  Emblem of the Prime Minister

See also

• Deputy Prime Minister of South Korea
• List of presidents of South Korea
• List of prime ministers of Korea