Politics of South Korea
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Politics of the Republic of Korea takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is the head of state, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. 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 in 1988.
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[edit] Executive branch
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Lee Myung-bak, 이명박 | Grand National Party | 25 February 2008 |
| Prime Minister | Han Seung-soo, 한승수 | Grand National Party | 29 February 2008 |
The head of state is the president, who is elected by direct popular vote for a single five-year term. Unlike the U.S. government, the president is not the commander in chief. However, the president 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. The Presidency was suspended from March 12 to May 14, 2004 while the Constitutional Court deliberated then President Roh Moo-hyun's impeachment vote in the National Assembly. The Constitutional Court eventually overturned the impeachment vote and restored Mr. Roh to the Presidency.
[edit] Legislative branch
The National Assembly (국회, 國會, gukhoe) has 299 members, elected for a four year term, 243 members in single-seat constituencies and 56 members by proportional representation.
[edit] 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 (Gukhwe) has 299 members, elected for a four year term, 243 members in single-seat constituencies and 56 members by proportional representation. The main political parties in South Korea are the United Democratic Party (evolved from the Uri Party), the Grand National Party (GNP), the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), and the Democratic Party (DP). The Uri Party was formed in late 2003 from a left-leaning faction of the DP (then the Millennium Democratic Party). It gained a slim majority in the National Assembly after the April 2004 legislative elections, but lost it in subsequent by-elections. The conservative GNP and centrist DP form the dominant political opposition. The socialist DLP is aligned with labour unions and farmers' groups.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Myung-bak (이명박) | Grand National Party | 11,492,389 | 48.7 |
| Chung Dong-young (정동영) | United New Democratic Party | 6,174,681 | 26.1 |
| Lee Hoi-chang (이회창) | Independent | 3,559,963 | 15.1 |
| Moon Kook-hyun (문국현) | Creative Korea Party | 1,375,498 | 5.8 |
| Kwon Young-ghil (권영길) | Democratic Labour Party | 712,121 | 3.0 |
| Lee In-je (이인제) | Centrist Reformists Democratic Party | 160,708 | 0.7 |
| Huh Kyung-young (허경영) | Economic Republican Party | 96,756 | 0.4 |
| Geum Min (금민) | Korea Socialist Party | 18,223 | 0.1 |
| Chung Kun-mo (정근모) | True Owner Coalition | 15,380 | 0.1 |
| Chun Kwan (전관) | Chamsaram Society Full True Act | 7,161 | 0.0 |
| Total (turnout 62.9%) | 23,732,854 | 100.0 | |
| Source: NEC (National Election Commission) | |||
| Parties | District | Proportional | Total Seats | +/– | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand National Party | 131 | 22 | 153 | +32 | |||
| United Democratic Party | 66 | 15 | 81 | –80 | |||
| Liberty Forward Party | 14 | 4 | 18 | +18 | |||
| Park's Party | 6 | 8 | 14 | +14 | |||
| Solidarity for Pro-Park Independents1 | 12 | 12 | +12 | ||||
| Democratic Labor Party | 2 | 3 | 5 | –5 | |||
| Renewal of Korea Party | 1 | 2 | 3 | +3 | |||
| Independents except Pro-Park | 13 | 13 | +10 | ||||
| Total | 245 | 54 | 299 | — | |||
| 1Not registered party Source: NEC, A. Carr |
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Right Center Left
[edit] 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
[edit] Judicial branch
The South Korean judiciary is independent of the other two branches. The highest judiciary body is the Supreme Court, whose justices are appointed by the president with the consent of the National Assembly. In addition, the Constitutional Court oversees questions of constitutionality.
[edit] Administrative divisions
(Main article: Administrative divisions of South Korea. For historical information, see Provinces of Korea and Special cities of Korea)
One Special City (Teukbyeolsi, Capital City), six Metropolitan Cities (Gwangyeoksi, singular and plural.), and nine Provinces (Do, singular and plural).
- Seoul Teukbyeolsi (서울 특별시)
- Busan Gwangyeoksi (부산 광역시)
- Daegu Gwangyeoksi (대구 광역시)
- Incheon Gwangyeoksi (인천 광역시)
- Daejeon Gwangyeoksi (대전 광역시)
- Gwangju Gwangyeoksi (광주 광역시)
- Ulsan Gwangyeoksi (울산 광역시)
- 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)
[edit] International organization participation
AfDB, APEC, AsDB, BIS, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNU, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, Zangger Committee
[edit] Also See
- Elections in South Korea
- Constitution of the Republic of Korea
- History of South Korea
- Joseon dynasty politics
- South Korea
- List of Korea-related topics
- Flag of South Korea
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