List of presidents of South Korea

Wikimedia list article

This is a list of the presidents of South Korea.

Since the creation of the Government of the Republic of Korea which is commonly known as South Korea in 1948, twelve people have served nineteen terms as President of South Korea. The president is the country's head of state as well as its head of government. The president is also the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.

Presidents

change
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Elected Term of office Political party
Took office Left office Time in office
Presidents of the First Republic
1   Rhee Syng-man
이승만
李承晩

(1875–1965)
1948 24 July 1948 26 April 1960 11 years, 278 days NARRKI
Liberal
1952
1956
March 1960
  Ho Chong
허정
許政

(1896–1988)
Acting president
27 April 1960 15 June 1960 50 days Independent
Presidents of the Second Republic
  Kwak Sang-hoon [ko]
곽상훈
郭尙勳

(1896–1980)
Acting president
16 June 1960 23 June 1960 8 days Democratic
  Ho Chong
허정
許政

(1896–1988)
Acting president
23 June 1960 7 August 1960 46 days Independent
  Paik Nak-chun
백낙준
白樂濬

(1895–1985)
Acting president
8 August 1960 12 August 1960 5 days Independent
2   Yun Po-sun
윤보선
尹潽善

(1897–1990)
August 1960 13 August 1960 24 March 1962 1 year, 224 days Democratic
New Democratic
  General
Park Chung-hee
박정희
朴正熙

(1917–1979)
Chairman of the SCNR
24 March 1962 16 December 1963 1 year, 268 days Military
President of the Third Republic
3   Park Chung-hee
박정희
朴正熙

(1917–1979)
1963 17 December 1963 26 December 1972 9 years, 10 days Democratic Republican
1967
1971
Presidents of the Fourth Republic
(3)   Park Chung-hee
박정희
朴正熙

(1917–1979)
1972 27 December 1972 26 October 1979[n 1] 6 years, 304 days Democratic Republican
1978
  Choi Kyu-hah
최규하
崔圭夏

(1919–2006)
26 October 1979 6 December 1979 42 days Independent
4 1979 6 December 1979 16 August 1980[n 2] 255 days
Park Choong-hoon [ko]
박충훈
朴忠勳

(1919–2001)
Acting president
16 August 1980 31 August 1980 16 days Democratic Republican
5   Chun Doo-hwan
전두환
全斗煥

(1931–2021)
1980 1 September 1980 24 February 1981 177 days Independent
President of the Fifth Republic
(5)   Chun Doo-hwan
전두환
全斗煥

(1931–2021)
1981 25 February 1981 24 February 1988 7 years, 0 days Democratic Justice
Presidents of the Sixth Republic
6   Roh Tae-woo
노태우
盧泰愚

(1932–2021)
1987 25 February 1988 24 February 1993 5 years, 0 days Democratic Justice
Democratic Liberal
Independent
7   Kim Young-sam
김영삼
金泳三

(1927–2015)
1992 25 February 1993 24 February 1998 5 years, 0 days Democratic Liberal
New Korea
Independent
8   Kim Dae-jung
김대중
金大中

(1924–2009)
1997 25 February 1998 24 February 2003 5 years, 0 days National Congress
Millennium Democratic
Independent
9   Roh Moo-hyun
노무현
盧武鉉

(1946–2009)
2002 25 February 2003[n 3] 24 February 2008 5 years, 0 days Millennium Democratic
Independent
Uri
Independent
10   Lee Myung-bak
이명박
李明博

(born 1941)
2007 25 February 2008 24 February 2013 5 years, 0 days Grand National
Saenuri
11   Park Geun-hye
박근혜
朴槿惠

(born 1952)
2012 25 February 2013 10 March 2017[n 4] 4 years, 14 days Saenuri
Liberty Korea
  Hwang Kyo-ahn
황교안
黃敎安

(born 1957)
Acting president
10 March 2017 9 May 2017 61 days Independent
12   Moon Jae-in
문재인
文在寅

(born 1953)
2017 10 May 2017 9 May 2022 5 years, 0 days Democratic
13   Yoon Suk-yeol
윤석열
尹錫悅

(born 1960)
2022 10 May 2022 Incumbent
(Term end on 10 May 2027)
2 years, 137 days People Power
  1. Died in office.
  2. Removed by coup d'état.
  3. From 12 March to 14 May 2004, Prime Minister Goh Kun served as an acting president. It was because of the National Assembly's motion to impeach him. He later returned to his post after the Constitutional Court refused to impeach him.
  4. Impeached and removed.