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Politics of South Korea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 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 pluriform 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.
Contents |
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Roh Moo-hyun, 노무현 | Uri Party | 25 February 2003 |
| Prime Minister | Han Duck Soo, 한덕수 | Uri Party | 3 April 2007 |
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. The president also has 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 president was suspended from March 12 to May 14, 2004 while the Constitutional Court deliberated Roh's impeachment vote in the National Assembly. And it happened to be false.
The National Assembly (국회, 國會, gukhae) has 299 members, elected for a four year term, 243 members in single-seat constituencies and 56 members by proportional representation.
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 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.
| Parties | Votes | % | +/− | Seats | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uri Party (열린우리당, Yeollin Uri-dang) | 8,145,824 | 38.3 | — | 152 | +105 |
| Grand National Party (한나라당, Hannara-dang) | 7,613,660 | 35.8 | −3.2 | 121 | −24 |
| Democratic Labour Party (민주노동당, Minju Nodong-dang) | 2,773,769 | 13.0 | — | 10 | +10 |
| Millennium Democratic Party (새천년민주당, Saecheonnyeon Minju-dang) | 1,510,178 | 7.1 | −28.8 | 9 | −53 |
| United Liberal Democrats (자유민주연합, Jayu Minju Yeonhap) | 600,462 | 2.8 | −7.0 | 4 | −6 |
| Others | 642,091 | 0.3 | — | 3 | −6 |
| Total (60 % out of 35,596,497 registered voters) | 21,285,984 | 100.0 | 299 |
| Candidates and nominating parties | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Roh Moo-hyun, 노무현 - Millennium Democratic Party (Sae Cheonnyeon Minjudang) | 12,014,277 | 48.91 |
| Lee Hoi-chang, 이회창 - Grand National Party (Hannara Dang) | 11,443,297 | 46.59 |
| Kwon Young-ghil, 권영길 - Democratic Labour Party (Minju Nodongdang) | 957,148 | 3.90 |
| Total (turnout 70.8 %) | ||
| Source: National Election Commission of the Republic of Korea. | ||
Before the April 2004 election, the GNP had 146 seats, the MDP 62 seats, the Uri Party 47 seats and the ULD 5 seats in the 273-seat Assembly. 2 seats were vacant and there were 10 independents. The MDP was renamed to Democratic Party in 2005. Furthermore, the Uri Party lost seats in by-elections held in April and October of 2005.
- 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
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.
(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)
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