Prime Minister of South Korea
The prime minister of the Republic of Korea is the deputy head of government and the second highest political office of South Korea. The prime minister is appointed by the president of the Republic of Korea, with the National Assembly's approval. The prime minister may be a member of the National Assembly, but this is not required to hold the office.
Unlike prime ministers of parliamentary democracies, the prime minister of South Korea is not the head of government of South Korea but a senior member of the cabinet, since the president is both the head of state and head of government in the country. The prime minister is the principal executive assistant to the president, and is first in the order of succession; the prime minister assumes the presidency in acting capacity, upon the removal or incapacitation of the sitting president.
The current prime minister is Kim Min-seok, having taken office on 3 July 2025 after being appointed by President Lee Jae Myung. After Han Duck-soo's impeachment on 27 December 2024, deputy prime minister and Finance Minister Choi briefly held the role of acting prime minister before his reinstatement on 24 March 2025 by the Constitutional Court of South Korea.
Nomenclature
The Sino-Korean word gungmu means "state affairs" and chongni means "prime minister", "premier" or "chancellor", so the full title in Korean means literally "Prime Minister for State Affairs", but it is not used as official English title. The short title in Korean is simply Chongni.History
The position was created on 31 July 1948, two weeks before the government of South Korea was founded, and was held by Lee Beom-seok until 1950. During the Second Republic, a parliamentary system was established and the prime minister became the most powerful position, with the president reduced to a figurehead. Chang Myon was the only prime minister of the second republic until the military coup of 1961. The office was assigned the title Chief Cabinet Minister from 1961 until 1963.On 27 April 2014, Prime Minister Chung Hong-won announced his desire to resign. However, due to unsuccessful nominations, Chung remained in office until February 2015.
On 23 January 2015, President Park Geun-hye named Saenuri's Floor Leader Lee Wan-koo as the new prime minister. Lee was confirmed by the National Assembly as Prime Minister on 16 February 2015. However, on April 20 of the same year, he offered his resignation to the president during a bribery scandal.
Functions
The prime minister is the principal executive assistant to the president, with the president being the actual head of government. The prime minister holds the second position after the president in the State Council of South Korea, which is the nominal cabinet of South Korea. The prime minister assists the president by supervising ministries, making recommendations for ministers, and serves as the vice-chairperson of the Cabinet. The prime minister is the first in the order of succession to discharge the duties of the office of the president as the acting president should the president be unable to discharge their office. The most recent prime minister to have served as Acting President is Han Duck-soo, during the suspension of Yoon Suk Yeol due to his impeachment on 14 December 2024. The role of the prime minister is more akin to the Vice President of the United States than it is to the prime ministers of parliamentary democracies.A prime minister who has been appointed by the president but not yet confirmed by the National Assembly is informally called the acting prime minister. The term may also be applied to a prime minister who has resigned but, in the interim, remains in office in a caretaker role.
The prime minister is supported by two deputy prime ministers, one of whom acts for the prime minister in the event of an impeachment or vacancy. The prime minister of South Korea sometimes holds some professional or technological knowledge, whereas the president is always a politician.
Removal
The procedure for impeachment is set out in the 10th Constitution of South Korea in 1987. And according to Article 65 Clause 1, if the president, prime minister, or other state council members violate the Constitution or other laws of official duty, the National Assembly can impeach them.Clause 2 states the impeachment bill must be proposed by one-third and approved by a majority of members of the National Assembly for passage. This article also states that any person against whom a motion for impeachment has been passed shall be suspended from exercising their power until the impeachment has been adjudicated by the Constitutional Court of Korea, and a decision on impeachment shall not extend further than removal from public office. However, impeachment shall not exempt the person impeached from civil or criminal liability for such violations.
By the Constitutional Court Act of 1988, the Constitutional Court must make a final decision within 180 days after it receives any case for adjudication, including impeachment cases. If the respondent has already left office before the pronouncement of the decision, the case is dismissed.
In Han Duck-soo's case, the Constitutional Court of South Korea dismissed the case, thus automatically restoring him to both the prime ministership and the acting presidency.
Prime Minister's Office
The Prime Minister's Office consists of two organisations – the Office for Government Policy Coordination and the Prime Minister's Secretariat, which are led by a ministerial-level minister for government policy coordination and a vice-ministerial-level chief of staff to the prime minister, respectively.Office for Government Policy Coordination assists the prime minister with:
- various tasks, responsible for directing, adjusting and overseeing central administrative authorities underneath the Prime Minister's Office;
- planning and adjusting key national policies;
- managing, analyzing and assessing policies regarding social risks, conflicts and pending problems;
- implementing regulatory reform;
- and doing other tasks specifically delegated by the prime minister.
- activities related to the National Assembly, responsible for matters regarding collaboration between the executive branch and the majority party in the legislature;
- providing PM with counsel on state affairs;
- matters regarding key information and situations, both domestic and international;
- management and arbitration of civil complaints;
- supporting and collaborating with civil groups;
- promoting PM's activities about state affairs;
- drafting PM's remarks and statements;
- supporting the promotion of activities by the Office for Government Policy Coordination;
- protocols and armed escort regarding PM and receiving VIPs;
- maintaining the official residence of the PM;
- and handling other matters as instructed by PM.