President of South Korea

President of the Republic of Korea
Presidential seal
Presidential standard
Incumbent
Lee Jae Myung
since 4 June 2025
Executive branch of the Government of South Korea
Office of the President
Style
TypeHead Of Executive Branch
Status
Member of
  • State Council
  • National Security Council
  • National Unification Advisory Council
ResidencePresidential Residence of South Korea
SeatSeoul
AppointerDirect popular vote
Term lengthFive years,
Non renewable
Constituting instrumentConstitution of South Korea (1948)
PrecursorPresident of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
Formation24 July 1948 (1948-07-24)
First holderSyngman Rhee
Unofficial namesPresident of South Korea
DeputyPrime Minister of South Korea
Salary₩240,648,000/USD$ 165,084 annually (2024)[1]
WebsiteOfficial website (in Korean)
Korean name
Hangul
대한민국 대통령
Hanja
大韓民國大統領
RRDaehanminguk daetongnyeong
MRTaehanmin'guk taet'ongnyŏng

The president of the Republic of Korea (Korean대한민국 대통령), also known as the president of South Korea (한국 대통령), is the head of state and head of government of South Korea. The president directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander-in-chief of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.

The Constitution of South Korea and the amended Presidential Election Act of 1987 provide for election of the president by direct, secret ballot, ending sixteen years of indirect presidential elections under the preceding two authoritarian governments. The president is directly elected to a five-year term, with no possibility of re-election.[2] If a presidential vacancy should occur, a successor must be elected within sixty days, during which time presidential duties are to be performed by the prime minister or other senior cabinet members in the order of priority as determined by law. The president is exempt from criminal liability (except for insurrection or treason).

On 3 June 2025, Lee Jae Myung of the Democratic Party was elected as president of South Korea. Due to the previous president's impeachment and expulsion from office, Lee was sworn in immediately the next day.[3][4][5]

  1. ^ Executive Order: 공무원보수규정(제31380호)(20210105) / (별표 32) 고정급적 연봉제 적용대상 공무원의 연봉표(제35조 관련) (in Korean)
  2. ^ Article 70 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea.
  3. ^ Joo Hee-yeon; Kim Me-geon (3 June 2025). "New president to take office hours after polls close". The Chosun Daily. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  4. ^ Baek, Byung-yeul. "Lee Jae-myung, factory worker-turned-reformer, set to lead Korea". The Korea Times. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  5. ^ Kim, Eun-jung (4 June 2025). "Lee Jae-myung formally begins presidential term". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 4 June 2025.