First Spouse of South Korea

The First Spouse of South Korea is the wife or husband of the President of South Korea. During the administration of President Park Chung-hee, his daughter, Park Geun-hye, assumed the duties of First Lady after her mother, Yuk Young-soo, was assassinated.[1]

As of 2015, there has been no male holder of this title, with the current President, Park Geun-hye, being unmarried.

List

The following is a list of the First Ladies of South Korea.

I# A# Name Date of Marriage President Term Comments
1 1 Francesca Donner
(프란체스카 도너 / 프란체스카 도너 李)
October 8, 1934 Rhee Syng-man
(이승만 / 李承晩)
August 15, 1948 - April 26, 1960
2
3
(Acting) Baik Gui-ran
(백귀란 / 白貴蘭)
1932 Heo Jeong
(허정 / 許政)
April 27, 1960 - August 12, 1960 wife of Acting President Heo Jeong
2 4 Gong Deok-gwi
(공덕귀 / 孔德貴)
January 6, 1949 Yun Bo-seon
(윤보선 / 尹潽善)
August 13, 1960 - March 23, 1962
3 5 Yuk Young-soo
(육영수 / 陸英修)
December 1950 Park Chung-hee
(박정희 / 朴正熙)
December 17, 1963 - August 15, 1974
6
7
8
4 Park Geun-hye
(박근혜 / 朴槿惠)
President's daughter August 16, 1974 - October 26, 1979 She took over the role of First Lady after her mother, Yuk Young-soo, was assassinated.
9
5 10 Hong Gi
(홍기 / 洪基)
1935 Choi Kyu-hah
(최규하 / 崔圭夏)
December 6, 1979 - August 15, 1980
6 11 Rhee Soon-ja
(이순자 / 李順子)
1958 Chun Doo-hwan
(전두환 / 全斗煥)
September 1, 1980 - February 24, 1988
12
7 13 Kim Ok-suk
(김옥숙 / 金玉淑)
1959 Roh Tae-woo
(노태우 / 盧泰愚)
February 25, 1988 - February 24, 1993
8 14 Son Myeong-sun
(손명순 / 孫命順)
1951 Kim Young-sam
(김영삼 / 金泳三)
February 25, 1993 - February 24, 1998
9 15 Rhee Hee-hoh
(이희호 / 李姬鎬)
1962 Kim Dae-jung
(김대중 / 金大中)
February 25, 1998 - February 24, 2003
10 16 Kwon Yang-sook
(권양숙 / 權良淑)
1973 Roh Moo-hyun
(노무현 / 盧武鉉)
February 25, 2003 - February 24, 2008
11 17 Kim Yoon-ok
(김윤옥 / 金潤玉)
December 19, 1970 Lee Myung-bak
(이명박 / 李明博)
February 25, 2008 - February 24, 2013
Vacant N/A Park Geun-hye
(박근혜 / 朴槿惠)
February 25, 2013 - February 24, 2018 She has never married.

References

  1. Carter J. Eckert, Ki-baik Lee, Young Ick Lew, Michael Robinson, and Edward W. Wagner, Korea Old and New: A History (Seoul: Ilchokak / Korea Institute, Harvard University, 1990), 377.

See also