Politics of South Korea

South Korea’s political system is a presidential representative democratic republic, where the president serves as head of state within a multi-party framework. To maintain a separation of powers, the government is divided into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. Executive power is exercised by the government, while legislative authority is shared between the government and the National Assembly. The judiciary, which includes a Supreme Court, appellate courts, and a Constitutional Court, operates independently from the other two branches.

Since 1948, the constitution has been revised nine times, each revision marking a new republic. The current Sixth Republic began with the last major constitutional change in 1988. Before the June Democratic Struggle of 1987, South Korea was under a military authoritarian regime that tightly restricted freedoms of assembly, association, expression, press, and religion, as well as civil society activism. During that era, there were no freely elected national leaders, political opposition was suppressed, dissent was banned, and civil rights were limited.

In 2022, the Economist Intelligence Unit rated South Korea a “full democracy.” According to the V-Dem Democracy indices for 2024, it ranked as the fifth most electoral democratic country and the fourth most liberal democratic in Asia. South Korea is often held up as a model of democracy because of its relatively peaceful, internally driven transition to democratic rule.

The mid-2000s to mid-2010s are often seen as a period of democratic backsliding, though some argue this was more about democratic stagnation than outright regression. This involved greater state involvement in media control—particularly through the Korea Communications Commission—and reduced editorial independence among journalists, especially those with conservative media owners. Overall, political expression lagged behind comparable democracies. Strict election and campaign finance regulations, including a ban on door-to-door canvassing, have been cited as barriers to free expression and fair elections. These issues are largely attributed to a weak party structure that emphasizes individual leaders, leading to hyper-presidentialism. A right-left ideological divide has also become deeply entrenched in South Korean political society. However, the country has a strong civil society, or *simin sahoe*, shown by many civic organizations that helped prevent further backsliding, notably through the 2016–2017 Candlelight Demonstrations. Regionalism, dating back to the ancient Silla-Baekje rivalry, has also been a persistent factor.

Under recent administrations like that of President Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea has positioned itself as a “Global Pivotal State,” taking on a greater role in East Asia as a democratic power. Despite its own democratic challenges, it has been active globally on democracy, hosting the 2024 Summit for Democracy and committing at the 2023 Camp David Summit with the U.S. and Japan to strengthen coordination on promoting democracy and protecting human rights, bolstering their trilateral ties.

**National government**

**Executive branch**

The president, as head of state, is elected by direct popular vote for a single five-year term. The president serves as Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and holds considerable executive powers. The president appoints the prime minister with National Assembly approval, and also appoints and presides over the State Council of chief ministers as head of government. On March 12, 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 acting president. On May 14, 2004, the Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment, reinstating Roh. On June 4, 2025, Lee Jae-myung succeeded Yoon Suk Yeol as president.

**Legislative branch**

The National Assembly (국회, *gukhoe*) has 300 members elected for four-year terms: 253 from single-seat constituencies and 47 through proportional representation. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is the largest party in the Assembly.

**Judicial branch**

The judiciary is independent of the other two branches and consists of two highest courts. Inferior ordinary courts fall under the Supreme Court, whose justices are appointed by the president with National Assembly consent. The Constitutional Court reviews questions of constitutionality; its justices are appointed by the president, with equal nominations from the president, the National Assembly, and the Supreme Court chief justice. South Korea has not accepted compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction.

**Political parties and elections**

South Korea elects a president as head of state and a legislature at the national level. The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. The National Assembly has 300 members elected for four-year terms, with 253 from single-seat constituencies and 47 by proportional representation. The two main political parties are the centrist or centre-left Democratic Party of Korea and the conservative People Power Party, formerly the United Future Party. These are the dominant forces in current South Korean politics.