List of prime ministers of South Korea

To avoid confusion, all the names on this list follow the Eastern order convention (family name first, given name second) for consistency.

Standard and emblem of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea

The following is a list of the prime ministers of South Korea from the First Republic to the Sixth Republic. The first column consecutively numbers the individuals who have served as Prime Minister, while the second column consecutively numbers the Prime Ministerial terms or administrations.

List of prime ministers

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	President
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
Prime ministers of the First Republic
1		Lee Beom-seok 이범석 李範奭 (1900–1972)	31 July 1948	21 April 1950	1 year, 264 days	Independent	Rhee Syng-man
—		Shin Song-mo 신성모 申性模 (1891–1960) Acting	21 April 1950	23 November 1950	216 days	Independent
2		Chang Myon 장면 張勉 (1899–1966)	23 November 1950	24 April 1952	1 year, 153 days	Liberal
—		Yi Yun-yong 이윤영 李允榮 (1890–1975) Acting	24 April 1952	6 May 1952	12 days	Independent
3		Chang Taek-sang 장택상 張澤相 (1893–1969)	6 May 1952	6 October 1952	153 days	Independent
4		Paik Too-chin 백두진 白斗鎭 (1908–1993)	6 October 1952	17 June 1954	1 year, 254 days	Independent
5		Pyon Yong-tae 변영태 卞榮泰 (1892–1969)	27 June 1954	28 November 1954	154 days	Independent
Post abolished (28 November 1954 – 15 June 1960)
Prime ministers of the Second Republic
6		Ho Chong 허정 許政 (1896–1988)	15 June 1960	18 August 1960	64 days	Independent	Yun Bo-seon
(2)		Chang Myon 장면 張勉 (1899–1966)	18 August 1960	18 May 1961	273 days	Democratic
Chief Cabinet Ministers of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction
—		Chief of Staff of the Army Jang Do-young 장도영 張都暎 (1923–2012)	21 May 1961	3 July 1961	43 days	Military	Yun Bo-seon
—		Chief of Staff of the Army Song Yo-chan 송요찬 宋堯讚 (1918–1980)	3 July 1961	16 June 1962	348 days	Military
—		General Park Chung-hee 박정희 朴正熙 (1917–1979)	16 June 1962	10 July 1962	24 days	Military	Park Chung-hee (acting)
—		Kim Hyun-chul 김현철 金顯哲 (1901–1989)	10 July 1962	17 December 1963	1 year, 160 days	Independent
Prime ministers of the Third Republic
7		Choi Tu-son 최두선 崔斗善 (1894–1974)	17 December 1963	10 May 1964	145 days	Independent	Park Chung-hee
8		Chung Il-kwon 정일권 丁一權 (1917–1994)	10 May 1964	20 December 1970	6 years, 224 days	Independent
(4)		Paik Too-chin 백두진 白斗鎭 (1908–1993)	20 December 1970	4 June 1971	166 days	Democratic Republican
9		Kim Jong-pil 김종필 金鍾泌 (1926–2018)	4 June 1971	21 November 1972	1 year, 170 days	Democratic Republican
Prime ministers of the Fourth Republic
9 (cont'd.)		Kim Jong-pil 김종필 金鍾泌 (1926–2018)	21 November 1972	19 December 1975	3 years, 28 days	Democratic Republican	Park Chung-hee
10		Choi Kyu-hah 최규하 崔圭夏 (1919–2006)	19 December 1975	12 December 1979	3 years, 358 days	Independent
11		Shin Hyun-hwak 신현확 申鉉碻 (1920–2007)	12 December 1979	22 May 1980	162 days	Democratic Republican	Choi Kyu-hah
—		Park Choong-hoon 박충훈 朴忠勳 (1919–2001) Acting	22 May 1980	2 September 1980	103 days	Democratic Republican
12		Nam Duck-woo 남덕우 南德祐 (1924–2013)	2 September 1980	3 March 1981	182 days	Independent	Chun Doo-hwan
Prime ministers of the Fifth Republic
12 (cont'd.)		Nam Duck-woo 남덕우 南德祐 (1924–2013)	3 March 1981	4 January 1982	307 days	Independent	Chun Doo-hwan
13		Yoo Chang-soon 유창순 劉彰順 (1918–2010)	4 January 1982	24 June 1982	171 days	Independent
14		Kim Sang-hyup 김상협 金相浹 (1920–1995)	24 June 1982	14 October 1983	1 year, 112 days	Independent
15		Chin Iee-chong 진의종 陳懿鍾 (1921–1995)	15 October 1983	11 November 1984	1 year, 27 days	Democratic Justice
—		Shin Byung-hyun 신병현 申秉鉉 (1921–1999) Acting	11 November 1984	18 February 1985	99 days	Democratic Justice
16		Lho Shin-yong 노신영 盧信永 (1930–2019)	18 February 1985	26 May 1987	2 years, 97 days	Democratic Justice
—		Lee Han-key 이한기 李漢基 (1917–1995) Acting	26 May 1987	14 July 1987	49 days	Independent
17		Kim Chung-yul 김정렬 金貞烈 (1917–1992)	14 July 1987	25 February 1988	226 days	Independent
Prime ministers of the Sixth Republic
18		Lee Hyun-jae 이현재 李賢宰 (born 1929)	25 February 1988	5 December 1988	284 days	Independent	Roh Tae-woo
19		Kang Young-hoon 강영훈 姜英勛 (1922–2016)	5 December 1988	27 December 1990	2 years, 22 days	Democratic Justice → Democratic Liberal
20		Ro Jai-bong 노재봉 盧在鳳 (born 1936)	27 December 1990	24 May 1991	148 days	Democratic Liberal
21		Chung Won-shik 정원식 鄭元植 (1928–2020)	24 May 1991	8 October 1992	1 year, 137 days	Independent
22		Hyun Soong-jong 현승종 玄勝鍾 (1919–2020)	8 October 1992	25 February 1993	140 days	Independent
23		Hwang In-sung 황인성 黃寅性 (1926–2010)	25 February 1993	17 December 1993	295 days	Democratic Liberal	Kim Young-sam
24		Lee Hoi-chang 이회창 李會昌 (born 1935)	17 December 1993	22 April 1994	126 days	Independent
25		Lee Yung-dug 이영덕 李榮徳 (1926–2010)	22 April 1994	17 December 1994	239 days	Independent
26		Lee Hong-koo 이홍구 李洪九 (born 1934)	17 December 1994	18 December 1995	1 year, 1 day	Independent
27		Lee Soo-sung 이수성 李壽成 (born 1939)	18 December 1995	4 March 1997	1 year, 76 days	New Korea
28		Goh Kun 고건 高建 (born 1938)	4 March 1997	3 March 1998	364 days	New Korea → Grand National
(9)		Kim Jong-pil 김종필 金鍾泌 (1926–2018)	3 March 1998	13 January 2000	1 year, 316 days	United Liberal Democrats	Kim Dae-jung
29		Park Tae-joon 박태준 朴泰俊 (1927–2011)	13 January 2000	19 May 2000	127 days	United Liberal Democrats
—		Lee Hun-jai 이헌재 李憲宰 (born 1944) Acting	19 May 2000	22 May 2000	3 days	Independent
30		Lee Han-dong 이한동 李漢東 (1934–2021)	22 May 2000	11 July 2002	2 years, 50 days	United Liberal Democrats
—		Chang Sang 장상 張裳 (born 1939) Acting	11 July 2002	31 July 2002	20 days	Independent
—		Jeon Yun-churl 전윤철 田允喆 (born 1939) Acting	31 July 2002	9 August 2002	9 days	Independent
—		Chang Dae-whan 장대환 張大煥 (born 1952) Acting	9 August 2002	10 September 2002	32 days	Independent
31		Kim Suk-soo 김석수 金碩洙 (born 1932)	10 September 2002	26 February 2003	169 days	Independent
(28)		Goh Kun 고건 高建 (born 1938)	26 February 2003	25 July 2004	1 year, 150 days	Independent	Roh Moo-hyun
—		Lee Hun-jai 이헌재 李憲宰 (born 1944) Acting	25 July 2004	30 July 2004	5 days	Independent
32		Lee Hae-chan 이해찬 李海瓚 (born 1952)	30 July 2004	14 March 2006	1 year, 227 days	Uri
—		Han Duck-soo 한덕수 韓悳洙 (born 1949) Acting	14 March 2006	20 April 2006	37 days	Independent
33		Han Myeong-sook 한명숙 韓明淑 (born 1944)	20 April 2006	7 March 2007	321 days	Uri
—		Kwon Oh-kyu 권오규 權五奎 (born 1952) Acting	7 March 2007	2 April 2007	26 days	Independent
34		Han Duck-soo 한덕수 韓悳洙 (born 1949)	2 April 2007	29 February 2008	333 days	Independent
35		Han Seung-soo 한승수 韓昇洙 (born 1936)	29 February 2008	28 September 2009	1 year, 212 days	Grand National	Lee Myung-bak
36		Chung Un-chan 정운찬 鄭雲燦 (born 1947)	28 September 2009	11 August 2010	317 days	Independent
—		Yoon Jeung-hyun 윤증현 尹增鉉 (born 1946) Acting	11 August 2010	1 October 2010	51 days	Grand National
37		Kim Hwang-sik 김황식 金滉植 (born 1948)	1 October 2010	26 February 2013	2 years, 148 days	Independent
38		Jung Hong-won 정홍원 鄭烘原 (born 1944)	26 February 2013	16 February 2015	1 year, 355 days	Independent	Park Geun-hye
39		Lee Wan-koo 이완구 李完九 (1950–2021)	16 February 2015	27 April 2015	70 days	Saenuri
—		Choi Kyoung-hwan 최경환 崔炅煥 (born 1955) Acting	27 April 2015	18 June 2015	52 days	Saenuri
40		Hwang Kyo-ahn 황교안 黃敎安 (born 1957)	18 June 2015	11 May 2017	1 year, 327 days	Independent
							Hwang Kyo-ahn (acting)
—		Yoo Il-ho 유일호 柳一鎬 (born 1955) Acting	11 May 2017	31 May 2017	20 days	Liberty Korea	Moon Jae-in
41		Lee Nak-yon 이낙연 李洛淵 (born 1952)	31 May 2017	14 January 2020	2 years, 228 days	Democratic
42		Chung Sye-kyun 정세균 丁世均 (born 1950)	14 January 2020	16 April 2021	1 year, 92 days	Democratic
—		Hong Nam-ki 홍남기 洪楠基 (born 1960) Acting	16 April 2021	13 May 2021	27 days	Independent
43		Kim Boo-kyum 김부겸 金富謙 (born 1958)	14 May 2021	12 May 2022	363 days	Democratic
—		Choo Kyung-ho 추경호 秋慶鎬 (born 1960) Acting	12 May 2022	20 May 2022	8 days	People Power	Yoon Suk-yeol
(34)		Han Duck-soo 한덕수 韓悳洙 (born 1949)	21 May 2022	Incumbent	1 year, 141 days	Independent

Timeline

Living former prime ministers

As of October 2023, eighteen former prime ministers of South Korea are still alive. The most recent death of a former prime minister was that of Lee Wan-koo (who was prime minister in 2015) on 14 October 2021, aged 71.

Name	Term of office	Date of birth
Lee Hyun-jae	1988	(1929-12-20) 20 December 1929
Ro Jai-bong	1990–1991	(1936-02-08) 8 February 1936
Lee Hoi-chang	1993–1994	(1935-06-02) 2 June 1935
Lee Hong-koo	1994–1995	(1934-05-09) 9 May 1934
Lee Soo-sung	1995–1997	(1939-03-10) 10 March 1939
Goh Kun	1997–1998; 2003–2004	(1938-01-02) 2 January 1938
Kim Suk-soo	2002–2003	(1932-11-20) 20 November 1932
Lee Hae-chan	2004–2006	(1952-07-10) 10 July 1952
Han Duck-soo	2007–2008	(1949-06-18) 18 June 1949
Han Myeong-sook	2006–2007	(1944-03-24) 24 March 1944
Han Seung-soo	2008–2009	(1936-12-28) 28 December 1936
Chung Un-chan	2009–2010	(1947-03-21) 21 March 1947
Kim Hwang-sik	2010–2013	(1948-08-09) 9 August 1948
Chung Hong-won	2013–2015	(1944-10-09) 9 October 1944
Hwang Kyo-ahn	2015–2017	(1957-04-15) 15 April 1957
Lee Nak-yon	2017–2020	(1952-12-20) 20 December 1952
Chung Sye-kyun	2020–2021	(1950-11-05) 5 November 1950
Kim Boo-kyum	2021–2022	(1958-01-21) 21 January 1958

See also

• Deputy Prime Minister of South Korea
• List of presidents of South Korea
• List of prime ministers of Korea

External links

• Former Prime Ministers