South Korea

Leaders of South Korea
(Republic of Korea)

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Look for biographies of the leaders (in Spanish) at CIDOB website. See also the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or North Korea.

Parties: DJP: Democratic Justice Party - DLP: Democratic Liberal Party (see note 4) - DP: Democratic Party (older) - DPK: Democratic Party of Korea - DRP: Democratic Republican Party - GNP: Grand National Party (see note 5) - LKP: Liberty Korea Party (see note 9) - LP: Liberal Party - MDP: Millenium Democratic Party (see note 6) - NCNP: National Congress for New Politics - NDP: New Democratic Party (see note 2) - NKP: New Korea Party (see note 5) - PPP: People Power Party (see note 10) - Saenuri: New Frontier Party (see note 8) - UD: Our Party (Uri Dang) (see note 7) - ULD: United Liberal Democrats

Heads of State

Presidents of the Republic
Syngman Rhee      31 May 1948 -  3 May 1960 (†1965) LP (1)
Ho Chong           3 May 1960 - 15 Jun 1960 (†1988) LP (acting)
Kwak Sang Hoon    15 Jun 1960 - 26 Jun 1960 (†1979) (acting)
Ho Chong          26 Jun 1960 - 13 Aug 1960 (†1988) LP (acting)
Yun Po Sun        13 Aug 1960 - 24 Mar 1962 (†1990) DP, NDP (2)

Chairman of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction
Park Chung Hee    24 Mar 1962 - 17 Dec 1963 (†1979) military

Presidents of the Republic
Park Chung Hee    17 Dec 1963 - 26 Oct 1979 (†1979) DRP
Choi Kyu Hah      26 Oct 1979 - 16 Aug 1980 (†2006) DRP (acting to 6 Dec 1979)
Park Choong Hoon  16 Aug 1980 -  1 Sep 1980 (†2001) military (acting) 
Chun Doo Hwan      1 Sep 1980 - 25 Feb 1988 (†2021) military, DJP (3) 
Roh Tae Woo       25 Feb 1988 - 25 Feb 1993 (†2021) DJP, DLP (4)
Kim Young Sam     25 Feb 1993 - 25 Feb 1998 (†2015) DLP, NKP, GNP (5) 
Kim Dae Jung      25 Feb 1998 - 25 Feb 2003 (†2009) NCNP, MDP (6)
Roh Moo Hyun      25 Feb 2003 - 25 Feb 2008 (†2009) MDP, UD (suspended 12 Mar-14 May 2004) (7)
 Goh Kun          12 Mar 2004 - 14 May 2004         n/p (acting for suspended Roh) 
Lee Myung Bak     25 Feb 2008 - 25 Feb 2013         GNP, Saenuri (8)
Park Geun Hye     25 Feb 2013 - 10 Mar 2017         Saenuri (suspended from 9 Dec 2016)
Hwang Kyo Ahn      9 Dec 2016 - 10 May 2017         n/p (acting [for suspended Park to 10 Mar 2017])
Moon Jae In       10 May 2017 - 10 May 2022         DPK   
Yoon Suk Yeol     10 May 2022 -                     PPP (10)

(1) Chairman of the National Assembly to 15 Aug 1948 (proclamation of the Republic of Korea).
(2) President under the rule of the SCNR or military junta since 16 May 1961. The NDP was formed in Nov 1960 by splinters of the DP.
(3) Military ruler to 25 Feb 1981.
(4) The DLP was born on 9 Feb 1990 from the merger of Roh Tae Woo's DJP, Kim Young Sam's Reunification Democratic Party (RDP) and Kim Jong Pil's New Democratic Republican Party (NDRP).
(5) The DLP became the NKP on 6 Dec 1995 and the NKP, by merger with the (newer) Democratic Party (DP), became the GNP on 21 Nov 1997.
(6) The NCNP became the MDP (in Korean, called simply Democratic Party) on 20 Jan 2000.
(7) The UD, known as New Party for Participatory Citizens to 22 Oct 2003, was launched by splinters of MDP in Sep 2003.
(8) The GNP was renamed to Saenuri Party on 2 Feb 2012.
(9) The Saenuri Party was renamed to LKP on 13 Feb 2017.
(10) The PPP was founded on 17 Feb 2020 under the name of United Future Party (UFP, renamed to PPP on 2 Sep 2020) as the merger of four conservative parties, including the Liberty Korea Party (LKP).

Heads of Government

Prime Ministers
Lee Bum Suk        1 Aug 1948 - 21 Apr 1950 (†1972) n/p
Shin Sung Mo      21 Apr 1950 - 23 Nov 1950 (†1960) n/p (acting)
Chang Myon        23 Nov 1950 - 24 Apr 1952 (†1966) LP 
Yi Yun Yong       24 Apr 1952 -  6 May 1952 (†1975) LP (acting)
Chang Taek Sang    6 May 1952 -  6 Oct 1952 (†1969) LP 
Paik Too Chin      9 Oct 1952 - 17 Jun 1954 (†1993) LP (acting to 24 Apr 1953)
Pyun Yung Tai     28 Jun 1954 - 28 Nov 1954 (†1969) LP 
Ho Chong          15 Jun 1960 - 18 Aug 1960 (†1988) LP   
Chang Myon        18 Aug 1960 - 18 May 1961 (†1966) DP

Chief Cabinet Ministers
Chang Do Yung     20 May 1961 -  3 Jul 1961 (†2012) military 
Song Yo Chan       3 Jul 1961 - 16 Jun 1962 (†1980) military
Park Chung Hee    18 Jun 1962 - 10 Jul 1962 (†1979) military                      
Kim Hyun Chul     10 Jul 1962 - 17 Dec 1963 (†1989) n/p

Prime Ministers
Choi Doo Sun      17 Dec 1963 - 10 May 1964 (†1974) n/p
Chung Il Kwon     10 May 1964 - 20 Dec 1970 (†1994) n/p
Paik Too Chin     20 Dec 1970 -  4 Jun 1971 (†1993) DRP 
Kim Jong Pil       4 Jun 1971 - 19 Dec 1975 (†2018) DRP   
Choi Kyu Hah      19 Dec 1975 -  6 Dec 1979 (†2006) DRP (acting to 13 Mar 1976)
Shin Hyon Hwak    12 Dec 1979 - 22 May 1980 (†2007) DRP 
Park Choong Hoon  22 May 1980 -  2 Sep 1980 (†2001) military (acting)
Nam Duck Woo       2 Sep 1980 -  4 Jan 1982 (†2013) DJP (acting to 22 Sep 1980)
Yoo Chang Soon     4 Jan 1982 - 25 Jun 1982 (†2010) DJP (acting to 23 Jan 1982)
Kim Sang Hyup     25 Jun 1982 - 14 Oct 1983 (†1995) DJP (acting to 21 Sep 1982)
Chin Iee Chong    15 Oct 1983 - 19 Feb 1985 (†1995) DJP (acting to 17 Oct 1983)
Lho Shin Yong     19 Feb 1985 - 26 May 1987 (†2019) DJP (acting to 16 May 1985)
Lee Han Key       26 May 1987 - 14 Jul 1987 (†1995) DJP (acting)
Kim Chung Yul     14 Jul 1987 - 25 Feb 1988 (†1992) n/p (acting to 7 Aug 1987)
Lee Hyun Jae      25 Feb 1988 -  5 Dec 1988         DJP (acting to 2 Mar 1988)
Kang Young Hoon    5 Dec 1988 - 27 Dec 1990 (†2016) DJP, DLP (acting to 16 Dec 1988)
Ro Jai Bong 	  27 Dec 1990 - 24 May 1991 (†2024) DLP
Chung Won Shik    24 May 1991 -  8 Oct 1992 (†2020) n/p (acting to 8 Jul 1991)
Hyun Soong Jong    8 Oct 1992 - 25 Feb 1993 (†2020) n/p
Hwang In Sung     25 Feb 1993 - 17 Dec 1993 (†2010) DLP
Lee Hoi Chang     17 Dec 1993 - 22 Apr 1994         DLP
Lee Yung Duk      29 Apr 1994 - 17 Dec 1994 (†2010) DLP                  
Lee Hong Koo      17 Dec 1994 - 18 Dec 1995         DLP 
Lee Soo Sung      18 Dec 1995 -  4 Mar 1997         NKP
Goh Kun            4 Mar 1997 -  3 Mar 1998         NKP
Kim Jong Pil       3 Mar 1998 - 13 Jan 2000 (†2018) ULD (acting to 17 Aug 1998)
Park Tae Joon     13 Jan 2000 - 19 May 2000 (†2011) ULD
Lee Hun Jai       19 May 2000 - 22 May 2000         n/p (acting) 
Lee Han Dong      22 May 2000 - 11 Jul 2002 (†2021) ULD (acting to 29 Jun 2000)
Chang Sang        11 Jul 2002 - 31 Jul 2002         n/p (acting)
Jeon Yun Churl    31 Jul 2002 -  9 Aug 2002         n/p (acting)
Chang Dae Whan     9 Aug 2002 - 10 Sep 2002         n/p (acting)
Kim Suk Soo       10 Sep 2002 - 26 Feb 2003         n/p (acting to 5 Oct 2002)
Goh Kun           26 Feb 2003 - 25 May 2004         n/p
Lee Hun Jai       25 May 2004 - 30 Jun 2004         n/p (acting) 
Lee Hai Chan      30 Jun 2004 - 14 Mar 2006         UD
Han Duck Soo      14 Mar 2006 - 19 Apr 2006         n/p (acting) 
Han Myung Sook    19 Apr 2006 -  7 Mar 2007         UD
Kwon O Kyu         7 Mar 2007 -  2 Apr 2007         n/p (acting)
Han Duck Soo       2 Apr 2007 - 29 Feb 2008         n/p
Han Seung Soo     29 Feb 2008 - 29 Sep 2009         GNP
Chung Un Chan     29 Sep 2009 - 11 Aug 2010         GNP
Yoon Jeung Hyun   11 Aug 2010 -  1 Oct 2010         GNP (acting)
Kim Hwang Sik      1 Oct 2010 - 26 Feb 2013         n/p
Chung Hong Won    26 Feb 2013 - 17 Feb 2015         Saenuri
Lee Wan Koo       17 Feb 2015 - 18 Jun 2015 (†2021) Saenuri
Hwang Kyo Ahn     18 Jun 2015 - 11 May 2017         n/p
Yoo Il Ho         11 May 2017 - 31 May 2017         LKP (acting)
Lee Nak Yon       31 May 2017 - 14 Jan 2020         DPK
Chung Sye Kyun    14 Jan 2020 - 16 Apr 2021         DPK 
Hong Nam Ki       16 Apr 2021 - 14 May 2021         n/p (acting)
Kim Boo Kyum      14 May 2021 - 12 May 2022         DPK
Choo Kyung Ho     12 May 2022 - 21 May 2022         PPP (acting)
Han Duck Soo      21 May 2022 -                     n/p

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