Heads of State of Korea
Baekje
King of Baekje
Muryeong
Date of birth/date of death: b. 461/462; d. 523.
House of Buyeo – Go
501 – 523
Republic of Korea
President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
Syngman Rhee
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 26 1875; d. July 19 1965.
Korea Independence Party
1919 – 1925
Kim Ku
Date of birth/date of death: b. August 29 1876; d. June 26 1949.
Korea Independence Party
1926 – 1927
Kim Ku
Date of birth/date of death: b. August 29 1876; d. June 26 1949.
Korea Independence Party
1940 – 1947
Syngman Rhee
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 26 1875; d. July 19 1965.
Korea Independence Party
1947 – 1948
President of the People’s Republic of Korea
Syngman Rhee
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 26 1875; d. July 19 1965.
Korea Independence Party
1945 – 1946
First Republic of Korea (제1공화국, 1948 – 1960)
In the aftermath of World War II, the United Nations attempted to sponsor elections across the Korean peninsula to forge a unified Korean government. This ambition ultimately failed, and the US-backed government south of the 38th parallel and the Soviet-backed government north of it emerged as separate states. In the south, elections were held in May 1948 to select the members of a new National Assembly, which then elected Syngman Rhee as president on July 20 1948. The Republic of Korea was officially proclaimed by this new government on August 15 1948.
The defining event of the First Republic was the Korean War, precipitated by the North Korean invasion of the South beginning June 25 1950. The tides of the war ebbed and flowed across the pre-war border before ultimately settling fairly close to the original boundary line. The armistice that took effect on July 27 1953 remains in force, as North and South Korea are still technically at war. During the war the South Korean government was forced to temporarily re-locate to the city of Busan on the south coast of the Korean peninsula due to the early rapid Northern advance, but ultimately returned to Seoul after the armistice.
In the aftermath of the Korean War, South Korea developed in an increasingly authoritarian direction under Rhee. Constitutional amendments pushed through in 1952 and 1954 made the presidency a directly elected position, weakening the power of the National Assembly. The facade of political competition gradually fell away as power concentrated more and more in the hands of the president. Repression, corruption, and manipulation of elections all increased over the course of the 1950s, and the economic recovery from the devastating effects of the war was slow.
Things came to a head with the 1960 presidential election, perceived by many in South Korea as fraudulent. Mass demonstrations against Rhee’s government broke out, and intensified after failed attempts at repression. This culminated in the April Revolution, forcing Rhee to resign on April 26 and bringing the First Republic to an end.
Heads of State of the First Republic of Korea
The 1948 Constitution had already established a strong presidential system in the Republic of Korea, but the provision that the president be elected by the National Assembly left some scope for separation of powers in South Korean politics. However, the pressures of the Korean War and the relative weakness of South Korean political parties in the 1950s encouraged the centralization of power in the hands of the president. The constitutional amendments of 1952 and 1954 that allowed for direct elections for president weakened legislative checks on the presidency significantly, and the elimination of term limits further entrenched the personal power of Syngman Rhee.
President of the Republic of Korea
Syngman Rhee
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 26 1875; d. July 19 1965.
National Association (1948 – 1951); Liberal Party (1951 – 1960)
1948 – 1960
Heads of Government of the First Republic of Korea
Ho Chong (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 8 1896; d. September 18 1988.
Democratic Party
1960
Kwak Sang-hoon (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. October 21 1896; d. January 19 1980.
Democratic Party
1960
Ho Chong (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 8 1896; d. September 18 1988.
Democratic Party
1960
Baek Nak-jun (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 9 1895; d. January 13 1985.
Independent
1960
Yun Po-sun
Date of birth/date of death: b. August 26 1897; d. July 18 1990.
Democratic Party
1960 – 1962
Park Chung Hee (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. November 14 1917; d. October 26 1979.
Non-Partisan (Military)
1962 – 1963
Park Chung Hee
Date of birth/date of death: b. November 14 1917; d. October 26 1979.
Democratic Republican Party
1963 – 1979
Choi Kyu-hah (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 16 1919; d. October 22 2006.
Independent
1979
Choi Kyu-hah
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 16 1919; d. October 22 2006.
Independent
1979 – 1980
Park Choong-hoon (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 19 1919; d. March 16 2001.
Democratic Republican Party
1980
Chun Doo-hwan
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 18 1931; d. November 23 2021.
Non-Partisan (Military) (1980 – 1981); Democratic Justice Party (1981 – 1988)
1980 – 1988
Roh Tae-woo
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 4 1932; d. October 26 2021.
Democratic Justice Party (1988 – 1990); Democratic Liberal Party (1990 – 1992); Independent (1992 – 1993)
1988 – 1993
Kim Young-sam
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 20 1927; d. November 22 2015.
Democratic Liberal Party (1993 – 1995); New Korea Party (1995 – 1997); Independent (1997 – 1998)
1993 – 1998
Kim Dae-jung
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 8 1924; d. August 18 2009.
National Congress for New Politics (1998 – 2000); Millennium Democratic Party (2000 – 2002); Independent (2002 – 2003)
1998 – 2003
Roh Moo-hyun
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 1 1946; d. May 23 2009.
Yeollin Uri Party (2003 – 2007); Independent (2007 – 2008)
2003 – 2008
Goh Kun (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 2 1938.
Independent
2004
Lee Myung-bak
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 19 1941.
Grand National Party (2008 – 2012); Saenuri Party (2012 – 2013)
2008 – 2013
Park Geun-hye
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 9 1952.
Saenuri Party
2013 – 2017
Hwang Kyo-ahn (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 15 1957.
Independent
2016 – 2017
Moon Jae-in
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 24 1953.
Democratic Party of Korea
2017 – 2022
Yoon Suk Yeol
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 24 1953.
People Power Party
2022 – 2024
Han Duck-soo (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 18 1949.
Independent
2024
Choi Sang-mok (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 7 1963.
Independent
2024 – 2025
Han Duck-soo (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 18 1949.
Independent
2025
Lee Ju-ho (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 17 1961.
Independent
2025
Lee Jae-myung
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 8 1963.
Democratic Party of Korea
2025 – present
Deputy Heads of State of the Republic of Korea
Vice President of the Republic of Korea
Ho Chong (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 8 1896; d. September 18 1988.
Democratic Party
1960
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
President of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Kim Il-sung
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 15 1912; d. July 8 1994.
Workers’ Party of Korea
1972 – 1994
Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Kim Jong-il
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 16 1941; d. December 17 2011.
Workers’ Party of Korea
1993 – 2011
First Vice Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Kim Jong-il
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 16 1941; d. December 17 2011.
Workers’ Party of Korea
1990 – 1993
Heads of Government of Korea
Republic of Korea
Prime Minister of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
Kim Ku
Date of birth/date of death: b. August 29 1876; d. June 26 1949.
Korea Independence Party
1930 – 1933
Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea
Ho Chong (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 8 1896; d. September 18 1988.
Democratic Party
1951 – 1952
Ho Chong
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 8 1896; d. September 18 1988.
Democratic Party
1960
Park Chung Hee (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. November 14 1917; d. October 26 1979.
Non-Partisan (Military)
1962
Chung Il-kwon
Date of birth/date of death: b. November 21 1917; d. January 17 1994.
Independent
1964 – 1970
Choi Kyu-hah (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 16 1919; d. October 22 2006.
Independent
1975 – 1976
Choi Kyu-hah
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 16 1919; d. October 22 2006.
Independent
1976 – 1979
Park Choong-hoon (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 19 1919; d. March 16 2001.
Democratic Republican Party
1980
Goh Kun
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 2 1938.
New Korea Party (1997); Grand National Party (1997 – 1998)
1997 – 1998
Goh Kun
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 2 1938.
Independent
2003 – 2004
Lee Hae-chan
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 10 1952; d. January 25 2026.
Democratic Party of Korea
2004 – 2006
Han Duck-soo (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 18 1949.
Independent
2006
Han Myeong-sook
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 24 1944.
Yeollin Uri Party
2006 – 2007
Han Duck-soo
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 18 1949.
Independent
2007 – 2008
Han Seung-soo
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 28 1936.
Grand National Party
2008 – 2009
Hwang Kyo-ahn
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 15 1957.
Independent
2015 – 2017
Kim Boo-kyum
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 21 1958.
Democratic Party of Korea
2021 – 2022
Choo Kyung-ho (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 29 1960.
People Power Party
2022
Han Duck-soo
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 18 1949.
Independent
2022 – 2024
Choi Sang-mok (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 7 1963.
Independent
2024 – 2025
Han Duck-soo
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 18 1949.
Independent
2025
Lee Ju-ho (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 17 1961.
Independent
2025
Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea
Park Choong-hoon
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 19 1919; d. March 16 2001.
Democratic Republican Party
1967 – 1969
Han Duck-soo
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 18 1949.
Independent
2005 – 2006
Lee Ju-ho
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 17 1961.
Independent
2022 – 2025
Choo Kyung-ho
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 29 1960.
People Power Party
2022 – 2023
Choi Sang-mok
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 7 1963.
Independent
2023 – 2025
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Premier of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Kim Il-sung
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 15 1912; d. July 8 1994.
Workers’ Party of Korea
1948 – 1972