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Politics of the Republic of Korea 대한민국의 정치 (Korean)
National emblem of the Republic of Korea
Polity type	Unitary presidential constitutional republic
Constitution	Constitution of the Republic of Korea
Legislative branch
Name	National Assembly
Type	Unicameral
Meeting place	National Assembly Building
Presiding officer	Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly
Executive branch
Head of state and government
Title	President
Currently	Yoon Suk Yeol
Appointer	Direct popular vote
Cabinet
Name	State Council
Leader	President
Deputy leader	Prime Minister
Appointer	President
Headquarters	Yongsan, Seoul
Ministries	18
Judicial branch
Name	Judiciary of South Korea
Supreme Court
Chief judge	Cho Hee-dae
Constitutional Court
Chief judge	Lee Jongseok

This article is part of a series on
Politics of South Korea
Government Constitution of South Korea Law Human rights
Legislature National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo (I) Deputy Speaker Kim Young-joo (P) Deputy Speaker Chung Jin-suk (P) Members
Executive President of South Korea Yoon Suk-yeol (P) Prime Minister of South Korea Han Duck-soo (I) State Council Administrative divisions
Judiciary Supreme Court of Korea Chief Justice Jo Hee-de Constitutional Court of Korea President Lee Jong-seok
Elections Presidential elections Legislative elections Local elections By-elections
Political parties Democratic PPP Basic Income Party
Korean conflict Reunification Sunshine Policy
South Korea portal Other countries
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The politics of South Korea take place in the framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president is the head of state, and of a multi-party system. To ensure a separation of powers, the Republic of Korea Government is made up of three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The government exercises executive power and legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature and comprises a Supreme Court, appellate courts, and a Constitutional Court.

Since 1948, the constitution has undergone five major revisions, each signifying a new republic. The current Sixth Republic began with the last major constitutional revision that took effect in 1988. From its founding until the June Democratic Struggle, the South Korean political system operated under a military authoritarian regime, with the freedom of assembly, association, expression, press and religion as well as civil society activism being tightly restricted. During that period, there were no freely elected national leaders, political opposition is suppressed, dissent was not permitted and civil rights were curtailed.

The Economist Intelligence Unit rated South Korea a "full democracy" in 2022. According to the V-Dem Democracy indices in 2023, South Korea was the third most electoral democratic country in Asia. South Korea is often cited as a model of democracy due to its relatively peaceful and internally-driven democratic transition.

However, the mid-2000s to mid-2010s are often considered South Korea's backsliding period. Although, some have argued South Korea has hit a democratic ceiling and changes are more characteristic of democratic stagnation in lieu of regression. This took the form of more state involvement (particularly through the Korea Communications Commission or KCC) in media control and less editorial independence among journalists with conservative media owners. Overall, political expression lagged behind comparable democracies. Additionally, South Korea has very strict election and campaign finance regulations, that includes no door-to-door canvassing and, consequently, some have cited these regulations as barriers to political expression and free and fair elections. These changes have largely attributed to South Korea's weak political party structure that emphasizes leaders and, consequently, hyper-presidentialism. Moreover, a right-left ideological divide has been more deeply entrenched into South Korean political society. However, South Korea is considered to have a strong civil society or simin sahoe manifested through a large number of civic organizations that prevented further backsliding via the 2016-2017 Candlelight Demonstrations.

Under more recent administrations such as President Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea has taken a stance as a "Global Pivotal State," which involves a greater role in East Asia as a democratic power. Despite its own democratic struggles, South Korea has taken an active role on democracy on the global stage having hosted the 2024 Summit for Democracy and committing to "strengthen coordination on promoting democracy and protecting human rights" at the 2023 Camp David Summit with the U.S. and Japan, bolstering their trilateral relationship.

National government

Executive branch

The head of state is the president, who is elected by direct popular vote for a single five-year term. The president is Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and enjoys considerable executive powers.

The president appoints the prime minister with approval of the National Assembly, as well as appointing and presiding over the State Council of chief ministers as the head of government. On 12 March 2004, the executive power of then President Roh Moo-hyun was suspended when the Assembly voted to impeach him and Prime Minister Goh Kun became an Acting President. On 14 May 2004, the Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment decision made by the Assembly and Roh was reinstated.

On 10 May 2022, Yoon Suk Yeol succeeded Moon Jae-in as president of South Korea.

Legislative branch

The National Assembly (Korean: 국회; Hanja: 國會; RR: gukhoe) has 300 members, elected for a four-year term, 253 members in single-seat constituencies and 47 members by proportional representation. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is the largest party in the Assembly.

Judicial branch

The South Korean judiciary is independent of the other two branches of government, and is composed of two different highest courts. Inferior ordinary courts are under the Supreme Court, whose justices are appointed by the president of South Korea with the consent of the National Assembly. In addition, the Constitutional Court oversees questions of constitutionality, as single and the only court whose justices are appointed by the president of South Korea by equal portion of nomination from the president, the National Assembly, and the Supreme Court Chief justice. South Korea has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.

Political parties and elections

South Korea elects on national level a head of state – the president – and a legislature. The president is elected for a five-year term by the people. The National Assembly (Gukhoe) has 300 members, elected for a four-year term, 253 members in single-seat constituencies and 47 members by proportional representation.

The main two political parties in South Korea are the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (lit. "Together Democratic Party", DPK) and the conservative People Power Party (PPP), formerly the United Future Party (UFP). The liberal camp and the conservative camp are the dominant forces of South Korean politics at present.

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Political nature

South Korea's political history has always been prone to splits from and merges with other parties. One reason is that there is a greater emphasis around the 'politics of the individual' rather than the party; therefore, party loyalty is not strong when disagreements occur. The graph below illustrates the extent of the political volatility within the last 10 years alone. These splits were intensified after the 2016 South Korean political scandal.

Latest elections

Presidential election

In March 2022, Yoon Suk-yeol, the candidate of the conservative opposition People Power Party, won a close election over Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung by the narrowest margin ever. On 10 May 2022, Yoon was sworn in as South Korea's new president.

Legislative election

Political pressure groups and leaders

• Federation of Korean Industries
• Federation of Korean Trade Unions
• Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
• Korean National Council of Churches
• Korean Traders Association
• Korean Veterans' Association
• National Council of Labor Unions
• National Democratic Alliance of Korea
• National Federation of Farmers' Associations
• National Federation of Student Associations

Administrative divisions

One Special City (Teukbyeolsi, Capital City), six Metropolitan Cities (Gwangyeoksi, singular and plural), nine Provinces (Do, singular and plural) and one Special Autonomous City (Sejong City).

• Seoul Teukbyeolsi (서울특별시)
• Busan Gwangyeoksi (부산광역시)
• Daegu Gwangyeoksi (대구광역시)
• Incheon Gwangyeoksi (인천광역시)
• Daejeon Gwangyeoksi (대전광역시)
• Gwangju Gwangyeoksi (광주광역시)
• Ulsan Gwangyeoksi (울산광역시)
• Gyeonggi-do (경기도)
• Gangwon-do (강원도)
• Chungcheongbuk-do (충청북도)
• Chungcheongnam-do (충청남도)
• Jeollabuk-do (전라북도)
• Jeollanam-do (전라남도)
• Gyeongsangbuk-do (경상북도)
• Gyeongsangnam-do (경상남도)
• Jeju Teukbyeoljachi-do (제주특별자치도)
• Sejong Teukbyeol-jachisi (세종특별자치시)

Foreign relations

South Korea is a member of the

• African Development Bank
• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
• Asian Development Bank
• Bank for International Settlements
• Colombo Plan
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
• United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
• Food and Agriculture Organization
• Group of 77
• International Atomic Energy Agency
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
• International Civil Aviation Organization
• International Criminal Court
• International Chamber of Commerce
• International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
• International Development Association
• International Energy Agency (observer)
• International Fund for Agricultural Development
• International Finance Corporation
• International Hydrographic Organization
• International Labour Organization
• International Monetary Fund
• International Maritime Organization
• International Mobile Satellite Organization
• Intelsat
• Interpol
• International Olympic Committee
• International Organization for Migration
• International Organization for Standardization
• International Telecommunication Union
• International Trade Union Confederation
• United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
• Non-Aligned Movement (guest)
• Nuclear Suppliers Group
• Organization of American States (observer)
• OECD
• Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
• Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (partner)
• United Nations
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
• UNESCO
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization
• UN mediation of the Kashmir dispute
• United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia
• United Nations University
• Universal Postal Union
• World Customs Organization
• World Health Organization
• World Intellectual Property Organization
• World Meteorological Organization
• World Tourism Organization
• World Trade Organization
• Zangger Committee

See also

• Conservatism in South Korea
• Liberalism in South Korea
• Progressivism in South Korea
• Political scandals in South Korea
• Law of South Korea
• Government of South Korea

References

1. Democracy Index 2023: Age of Conflict (PDF). Economist Intelligence Unit (Report). 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
2. V-Dem Institute (2023). "The V-Dem Dataset". Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
3. "How South Korea's Authoritarian Past Shapes Its Democracy". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
4. "An Unpromising Recovery: South Korea's Post-Korean War Economic Development: 1953-1961". Association for Asian Studies. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
5. Mansfield, Edward D.; Snyder, Jack (1995). "Democratization and the Danger of War". International Security. 20 (1): 5–38. doi:10.2307/2539213. ISSN 0162-2889. JSTOR 2539213.
6. Lee, Damon Wilson, Lynn (2024-05-02). "South Korea Can Be a Democratic Leader". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2024-05-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
7. Cotton, James (1989). "From Authoritarianism to Democracy in South Korea". Political Studies. 37 (2): 244–259. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9248.1989.tb01481.x. ISSN 0032-3217.
8. Min, Byoung Won (2013). "Biting Back Against Civil Society: Information Technologies and Media Regulations in South Korea". Journal of International and Area Studies. 20 (1): 111–124. ISSN 1226-8550. JSTOR 43111518.
9. Gong, Qian; Rawnsley, Gary (2018). "Media freedom and responsibility in South Korea: The perceptions of journalists and politicians during the Roh Moo-hyun presidency". Journalism. 19 (9–10): 1257–1274. doi:10.1177/1464884916688287. hdl:2381/38770. ISSN 1464-8849.
10. Haggard, Stephan; You, Jong-Sung (2015-01-02). "Freedom of Expression in South Korea". Journal of Contemporary Asia. 45 (1): 167–179. doi:10.1080/00472336.2014.947310. ISSN 0047-2336.
11. Son, Byunghwan (2024-04-18). "Consequences of democratic backsliding in popular culture: evidence from blacklist in South Korea". Democratization: 1–25. doi:10.1080/13510347.2024.2343103. ISSN 1351-0347.
12. You, Jong-sung; Lin, Jiun-Da (2020). "Liberal Taiwan Versus Illiberal South Korea: The Divergent Paths of Election Campaign Regulation". Journal of East Asian Studies. 20 (3): 437–462. doi:10.1017/jea.2020.12. ISSN 1598-2408.
13. Mobrand, Erik (2015-12-01). "The Politics of Regulating Elections in South Korea: The Persistence of Restrictive Campaign Laws". Pacific Affairs. 88 (4): 791–811. doi:10.5509/2015884791.
14. ^ "Keeping Autocrats at Bay: Lessons from South Korea and Taiwan". Global Asia. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
15. Im, Hyug Baeg (2004-01-01). "Faltering democratic consolidation in South Korea: democracy at the end of the 'three Kims' era". Democratization. 11 (5): 179–198. doi:10.1080/13510340412331304642. ISSN 1351-0347.
16. Hur, Aram; Yeo, Andrew (March 2024). "Democratic Ceilings: The Long Shadow of Nationalist Polarization in East Asia". Comparative Political Studies. 57 (4): 584–612. doi:10.1177/00104140231178724. ISSN 0010-4140.
17. Kim, Andrew Eungi (2006). "Civic activism and Korean democracy: the impact of blacklisting campaigns in the 2000 and 2004 general elections". The Pacific Review. 19 (4): 519–542. doi:10.1080/09512740600984937. ISSN 0951-2748.
18. House, The White (2023-08-18). "The Spirit of Camp David: Joint Statement of Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States". The White House. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
19. "Korea, South". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
20. "Yoon Suk-yeol sworn in as South Korea's new president". The Korea Times. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
21. "Who is South Korea's new president Yoon Suk-yeol?". France 24. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.

External links

• South Korea at The World Factbook
• Office of the President
• National Assembly

• Politics of South Korea