President of South Korea facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids President of the Republic of Korea
Presidential standard
Presidential seal
Incumbent Lee Ju-ho since 2 May 2025
Executive branch of the Government of South Korea Office of the President
Style	Mr. President (informal) His Excellency (diplomatic)
Member of	State Council National Security Council National Unification Advisory Council
Residence	Presidential Residence of South Korea
Seat	Seoul
Appointer	Direct popular vote
Term length	Five years, Non renewable
Constituting instrument	Constitution of South Korea (1948)
Precursor	President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
Formation	24 July 1948; 76 years ago (1948-07-24)
First holder	Syngman Rhee
Deputy	Prime Minister of South Korea
Salary	₩240,648,000/USD$ 165,084 annually (2024)
Website

The President of South Korea (Hangul: 대한민국 대통령; Hanja: 大韓民國大統領; RR: Daehanminguk daetongnyeong) is a very important leader in South Korea. This person is both the head of state (the symbolic leader of the country) and the head of government (the person in charge of running the country's daily affairs). The President leads the executive branch of the government and is the commander-in-chief of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, meaning they are in charge of the military.

The President of South Korea is chosen by the people through a direct, secret vote. This election system has been in place since 1987. Once elected, the President serves for a single five-year term and cannot be re-elected. If the President's position becomes empty for any reason, a new election must be held within 60 days. During this time, the Prime Minister or another senior government official takes over the President's duties temporarily.

Recently, there have been some changes in the presidency. On 14 December 2024, then-President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached, which meant he was temporarily suspended from his duties. The Prime Minister, Han Duck-soo, became the acting president. Later, Han Duck-soo was also briefly suspended after his own impeachment on 27 December 2024, and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok took over as acting president. However, Han Duck-soo was later put back in his role by the Constitutional Court of Korea on 24 March 2025. President Yoon Suk Yeol was officially removed from office on 4 April 2025, when the Constitutional Court confirmed his impeachment. Since then, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho has been serving as acting president, starting from 2 May 2025, after Choi Sang-mok and Han Duck-soo both resigned.

On 3 June 2025, Lee Jae-myung from the Democratic Party was elected as the next President of South Korea. He is expected to start his term very soon.

History of South Korea's Presidents
What Does the President Do?
How the President is Elected
Important Groups Helping the President
Removing a President from Office
Presidential Office and Residence
Presidential Perks and Privileges
After the Presidency
Who Takes Over if the President Can't Serve?
See also

History of South Korea's Presidents

Syng-man Rhee, South Korea's first President

Before South Korea became the First Republic in 1948, there was a Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea formed in Shanghai in 1919. This government helped coordinate resistance against Japanese rule. South Korea's current Constitution recognizes this Provisional Government as its historical predecessor.

The length of a president's term has changed over time:

From 1948 to 1972, a term was four years.
From 1972 to 1981, it was six years.
From 1981 to 1988, it was seven years.
Since 1988, the presidential term has been set at five years, and a president cannot be re-elected.

What Does the President Do?

The South Korean Constitution explains the President's important jobs and powers. The President must:

Uphold and protect the Constitution.
Keep South Korea safe and secure.
Work towards the peaceful reunification of Korea.

The President also has these powers:

Leading the executive branch of the government.
Being the commander-in-chief of the military.
Making decisions about declaring war.
Holding referendums (national votes) on important issues.
Issuing executive orders (special rules).
Giving out medals to honor people who have served the nation.
Granting pardons (forgiving people for crimes).
Declaring a state of emergency or martial law in serious situations.
Vetoing (rejecting) bills passed by the National Assembly, though the Assembly can override this veto with a two-thirds vote.

If the National Assembly votes against a presidential decision, that decision immediately becomes invalid. The President can also take emergency measures if the National Assembly is not meeting and there's no time to call them. These measures are only for serious situations like national security threats or economic crises and must be kept to the "minimum necessary." The National Assembly must agree to these emergency measures later, or they can be cancelled.

How the President is Elected

The rules for electing the President are found in the South Korean Constitution and the Public Official Election Act. The President is chosen by a direct popular vote, meaning citizens vote directly for their preferred candidate. The candidate who gets the most votes wins (this is called first-past-the-post).

Important Groups Helping the President

The President works with many groups and people to run the country. The Presidential Secretariat, led by a secretary general, helps the President with daily tasks.

Other important groups include:

National Security Council: This group advises the President on foreign policy, military matters, and national security. The President leads this council.
Peaceful Unification Advisory Council: This council, also led by the President, works on ideas for the peaceful reunification of Korea.
Audit and Inspection Board: This board checks the financial records of all public organizations and reviews how government agencies and officials are doing their jobs. Their findings are reported to the President and the National Assembly.

Removing a President from Office

The process for removing a President is called impeachment and is outlined in the Constitution. If the President, Prime Minister, or other government officials break the Constitution or other laws while doing their job, the National Assembly can start an impeachment process.

For a President to be impeached, a majority of the National Assembly members must propose it, and then at least two-thirds (200 out of 300 members) must vote to approve it. If the impeachment motion passes, the President is immediately suspended from their duties. The Constitutional Court then makes the final decision on whether to remove the President permanently. The Court must make this decision within 180 days. If the President leaves office before the Court makes a decision, the case is dropped.

Three presidents have faced impeachment since 1948:

Roh Moo-hyun in 2004: The National Assembly impeached him, but the Constitutional Court overturned it, and he returned to office.
Park Geun-hye in 2016: The National Assembly impeached her, and the Constitutional Court confirmed it on March 10, 2017, removing her from office.
Yoon Suk Yeol in 2024: The National Assembly impeached him on 14 December 2024, and the Constitutional Court confirmed it on April 4, 2025, removing him from office.
Han Duck-soo in 2024: As acting president, he was impeached on 27 December 2024. Because he was considered a cabinet minister in this context, the National Assembly only needed a simple majority to impeach him, not the two-thirds required for a full president.

Presidential Office and Residence

The traditional presidential office and residence was called the Cheong Wa Dae (Hangul: 청와대; Hanja: 靑瓦臺), which means "Blue Tile House." It was a large complex of buildings, many built in the traditional Korean style, covering about 250,000 square meters (62 acres). It was one of the most protected official residences in Asia.

When President Yoon Suk Yeol took office in May 2022, the Cheong Wa Dae was opened to the public as a park. The President's office and residence were moved to the Office of the President of South Korea (which used to be the Ministry of National Defense building) in the Yongsan District of Seoul.

Presidential Perks and Privileges

As of 2021, the President receives a salary of ₩240,648,000 (about USD$165,084) each year, plus an expense account for travel and other needs while in office.

The President also has access to:

The Chongri Gonggwan ("Official Residence of the Prime Minister") and the Prime Minister's Office in Seoul.
Regional offices in major cities for use when traveling.
A special, highly modified Hyundai Nexo SUV for ground travel, known as the presidential state vehicle.
A highly modified Boeing 747-8 plane for air travel, called Code One.
A special Sikorsky S-92 helicopter for air travel, known as the presidential helicopter.

After the Presidency

All former presidents receive a lifelong pension and security protection from the Presidential Security Service. Unlike the prime minister, a former president cannot refuse this security.

However, if a president is impeached and removed from office, they lose many of their post-presidential benefits. These include their pension, free medical services, state funding for offices and staff, and the right to be buried at the Seoul National Cemetery. They still keep their security protection.

Who Takes Over if the President Can't Serve?

Article 71 of the South Korean Constitution states that if the President cannot perform their duties, the Prime Minister and other ministers, in a specific order, will become the acting president. If the presidency becomes completely empty or the President is permanently unable to serve, the acting president must hold new elections within 60 days.