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| First Lady of the Republic of Korea | |
|---|---|
| 대한민국 대통령 영부인 | |
| Incumbent Choi Ah-yong Acting since 14 December 2024 | |
| Residence | Presidential residence |
| Inaugural holder | Franziska Donner |
| Formation | 24 July 1948 (72 years ago) |
| Unofficial names | First Lady of South Korea |
| Website | www |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Politics of South Korea |
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The first lady of the Republic of Korea (Korean: 대한민국 대통령 영부인; Hanja: 大韓民國 大統領 令夫人; RR: daehanmingug daetonglyeong yeongbu-in), commonly known as the first lady of South Korea, is the title held by the hostess of the presidential residence, usually the wife of the president of South Korea.
The current first lady is Choi Ah-yong, wife of Acting President Han Duck-soo who has been in office since 14 December 2024.
History
During the administration of President Park Chung Hee, the first lady Yuk Young-soo was killed. Afterwards, Park's daughter, Park Geun-hye, assumed the duties of first lady after her mother.
Park Geun-hye later became president herself, making her the first and only female president of South Korea, However, as she was never married while in office, there has yet to be a first gentleman of Korea.
List of first ladies of the Republic of Korea
| President No. |
Picture | Name | Tenure | Age at the start of tenure | President (Husband, unless noted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Franziska Donner (프란체스카 도너) Birth country: Austria-Hungary June 15, 1900 – March 19, 1992 (aged 91) |
August 15, 1948 – April 26, 1960 |
48 years, 61 days | Syngman Rhee m. October 8, 1934 |
| 2 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| 4 | 
|
Gong Deok-gwi (공덕귀 / 孔德貴) April 21, 1911 – November 24, 1997 (aged 86) |
August 13, 1960 – March 23, 1962 |
49 years, 114 days | Yun Posun m. January 6, 1949 |
| 5 | 
|
Yuk Young-soo (육영수 / 陸英修) November 29, 1925 – August 15, 1974 (aged 48) |
December 17, 1963 – August 15, 1974 |
38 years, 18 days | Park Chung Hee m. December 12, 1950 |
| 6 | |||||
| 7 | |||||
| 8 | |||||
_(cropped).jpg)
|
Park Geun-hye (박근혜 / 朴槿惠) Born (1952-02-02) February 2, 1952 (age 72) |
August 16, 1974 – October 26, 1979 |
22 years, 195 days | Park Chung Hee (daughter) | |
| 9 | |||||
| 10 | 
|
Hong Gi (홍기 / 洪基) March 3, 1916 – July 20, 2004 (aged 88) |
December 6, 1979 – August 15, 1980 |
63 years, 278 days | Choi Kyu-hah m. 1935 |
| 11 | 
|
Lee Soon-ja (이순자 / 李順子) Born (1939-03-24) March 24, 1939 (age 85) |
September 1, 1980 – February 24, 1988 |
41 years, 161 days | Chun Doo-hwan m. January 24, 1958 |
| 12 | |||||
| 13 | 
|
Kim Ok-suk (김옥숙 / 金玉淑) Born (1935-09-08) September 8, 1935 (age 89) |
February 25, 1988 – February 24, 1993 |
52 years, 198 days | Roh Tae-woo m. May 31, 1959 |
| 14 | 
|
Son Myung-soon (손명순 / 孫命順) January 16, 1929 – March 7, 2024 (aged 95) |
February 25, 1993 – February 24, 1998 |
64 years, 40 days | Kim Young-sam m. 1951 |
| 15 | 
|
Lee Hee-ho (이희호 / 李姬鎬) September 21, 1922 – June 10, 2019 (aged 96) |
February 25, 1998 – February 24, 2003 |
75 years, 157 days | Kim Dae-jung m. 1962 |
| 16 | 
|
Kwon Yang-sook (권양숙 / 權良淑) Born (1947-12-23) December 23, 1947 (age 76) |
February 25, 2003 – February 24, 2008 |
55 years, 64 days | Roh Moo-hyun m. 1972 |
| 17 | .jpg)
|
Kim Yoon-ok (김윤옥 / 金潤玉) Born (1947-03-26) March 26, 1947 (age 77) |
February 25, 2008 – February 24, 2013 |
60 years, 336 days | Lee Myung-bak m. December 19, 1970 |
| 18 | Vacant | February 25, 2013 – March 10, 2017 |
Park Geun-hye | ||
| 19 | 
|
Kim Jung-sook (김정숙 / 金正淑) Born (1954-11-15) November 15, 1954 (age 70) |
May 10, 2017 – May 9, 2022 |
62 years, 176 days | Moon Jae-in m. 1981 |
| 20 | _(cropped).jpg)
|
Kim Keon-hee (김건희 / 金建希) Born (1972-09-02) September 2, 1972 (age 52) |
May 10, 2022 – 14 December 2024 |
49 years, 250 days | Yoon Suk Yeol m. 2012 |
Notes
- Park Geun-hye is the daughter of Park Chung Hee, and took over as First Lady following the murder of her mother, Yuk Young-soo.
- The President at the time, Park Geun-hye, was single, having never married.
See also
Notes
- Husband suspended by the National Assembly on 14 December 2024
References
- Carter J. Eckert, Ki-baik Lee, Young Ick Lew, Michael Robinson, and Edward W. Wagner, Korea Old and New: A History (Seoul: Ilchokak / Korea Institute, Harvard University, 1990), 377.
- "Park Geun-hye: South Korea's first female president". BBC News. BBC. December 19, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- "Profile: South Korean President Park Geun-hye". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
When her mother was murdered by a North Korean gunman in 1974, Ms Park served as first lady at the age of 22.
- Phelan, Jessica (January 31, 2014). "All The Single Leaders: The world's most eligible heads of state". Public Radio International. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
Park said she hasn't taken a husband because she's already married to her country...