World Factbook
South Korea
Taehan-min'guk
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
description: white with a red-and-blue yin-yang symbol in the center; a black trigram ( kwae ) from the ancient I Ching (Book of Changes) is in each corner of the white field meaning: the flag is called Taegukki; white is a traditional Korean color and represents peace and purity; blue stands for the negative cosmic forces of the yin, and red for the opposite positive forces of the yang; each trigram represents one of the universal elements, which together express the principle of movement and harmony
Capital
name
Seoul
note
note: Sejong, located some 120 km (75 mi) south of Seoul, serves as an administrative capital for segments of the South Korean government
etymology
the name originates from the Korean word meaning "capital city;" it was the capital of the unified Korea from 1392 to 1910
time difference
UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
geographic coordinates
37 33 N, 126 59 E
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Citizenship
citizenship by birth
no
citizenship by descent only
at least one parent must be a citizen of South Korea
dual citizenship recognized
no
residency requirement for naturalization
5 years
Constitution
history
several previous; latest passed by National Assembly 12 October 1987, approved in referendum 28 October 1987, effective 25 February 1988
amendment process
proposed by the president or by majority support of the National Assembly membership; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly membership, approval in a referendum by more than one half of the votes by more than one half of eligible voters, and promulgation by the president
Country name
etymology
derived from the Chinese name for Goryeo, which was the Korean dynasty that united the peninsula in the 10th century A.D.; the South Korean name "Han'guk" derives from the long form, "Taehan-min'guk," which is itself a derivation from "Daehan-je'guk," which means "the Great Han Empire"
abbreviation
ROK
local long form
Taehan-min'guk
local short form
Han'guk
conventional long form
Republic of Korea
conventional short form
South Korea
Independence
15 August 1945 (from Japan)
Legal system
mixed system combining European civil law, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought
Government type
presidential republic
Judicial branch
highest court(s)
Supreme Court (consists of a chief justice and 13 justices); Constitutional Court (consists of a court head and 8 justices)
subordinate courts
High Courts; District Courts; Branch Courts (organized under the District Courts); specialized courts for family and administrative issues
judge selection and term of office
Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president with the consent of the National Assembly; other justices appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chief justice and consent of the National Assembly; position of the chief justice is a 6-year nonrenewable term; other justices serve 6-year renewable terms; Constitutional Court justices appointed - 3 by the president, 3 by the National Assembly, and 3 by the Supreme Court chief justice; court head serves until retirement at age 70, while other justices serve 6-year renewable terms with mandatory retirement at age 65
Executive branch
note
note: the president is both chief of state and head of government; the prime minister serves as the principal executive assistant to the president, similar to the role of a vice president
cabinet
State Council appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation
chief of state
President LEE Jae-myung (since 4 June 2025)
election results
2025: LEE Jae-myung elected president; LEE Jae-myung (DPK) 49.4%, KIM Moon-soo (PPP) 41.2%, LEE Jun-seok (New Reform Party) 8.3% 2022 : YOON Suk-yeol elected president; YOON Suk-yeol (PPP) 48.6%, LEE Jae-myung (DPK) 47.8%; other 3.6%
head of government
Prime Minister KIM Min-seok (since 3 July 2025)
most recent election date
3 June 2025 (special snap election in the wake of the impeachment of former President YOON Suk-yeol)
election/appointment process
president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a single 5-year term; prime minister appointed by president with consent of the National Assembly
expected date of next election
2030
National holiday
Liberation Day, 15 August (1945)
National color(s)
red, white, blue, black
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites
17 (15 cultural, 2 natural)
selected World Heritage Site locales
Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes (n); Changdeokgung Palace Complex (c); Jongmyo Shrine (c); Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple (c); Hwaseong Fortress (c); Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites (c); Gyeongju Historic Areas (c); Namhansanseong (c); Baekje Historic Areas (c); Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea (c); Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty (c); Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream (c)
Political parties
Basic Income Party Democratic Party of Korea or DPK New Future Party New Reform Party Open Democratic Party or ODP People Power Party or PPP Progressive Party or Jinbo Party Rebuilding Korea Party Social Democratic Party note: the Democratic Alliance coalition consists of the DPK and the smaller Basic Income, Jinbo, Open Democratic, and Social Democratic parties, as well as two independents; for the 2024 election, the Basic Income Party, the ODP, and the Social Democratic Party formed the New Progressive Alliance
Legislative branch
term in office
4 years
number of seats
300 (all directly elected)
electoral system
mixed system
legislature name
National Assembly (Kuk Hoe)
scope of elections
full renewal
legislative structure
unicameral
most recent election date
4/10/2024
expected date of next election
April 2028
percentage of women in chamber
20.3%
parties elected and seats per party
Democratic Party of Korea (161); People Power Party (90); People Future Party (18); Other (31)
National anthem(s)
title
"Aegukga" (Patriotic Song)
history
adopted 1948, well-known by 1910; North Korea's and South Korea's anthems have the same name and a similar melody, but different lyrics
lyrics/music
YUN Ch'i-Ho or AN Ch'ang-Ho/AHN Eaktay
National symbol(s)
taegeuk (yin-yang symbol), Rose of Sharon ( Hibiscus syriacus ), Siberian tiger
Administrative divisions
9 provinces ( do , singular and plural), 6 metropolitan cities ( gwangyeoksi , singular and plural), 1 special city ( teugbyeolsi ), and 1 special self-governing city ( teukbyeoljachisi ) provinces: Chungcheongbuk-do (North Chungcheong), Chungcheongnam-do (South Chungcheong), Gangwon-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang), Gyeonggi-do, Gyeongsangnam-do (South Gyeongsang), Jeju-do (Jeju), Jeollabuk-do (North Jeolla), Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla) metropolitan cities: Busan (Pusan), Daegu (Taegu), Daejeon (Taejon), Gwangju (Kwangju), Incheon (Inch'on), Ulsan special city: Seoul special self-governing city: Sejong
Diplomatic representation in the US
FAX
[1] (202) 797-0595
chancery
2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone
[1] (202) 939-5600
chief of mission
Ambassador KANG Kyung-wha (since 16 December 2025)
consulate(s) general
Anchorage (AK), Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Hagatna (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia
email address and website
generalusa@mofa.go.kr https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/us-en/index.do
Diplomatic representation from the US
FAX
[82] (2) 397-4101
embassy
188 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul
telephone
[82] (2) 397-4114
consulate(s)
Busan
mailing address
9600 Seoul Place, Washington, DC 20521-9600
chief of mission
Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires James “Jim” HELLER (since 7 January 2026)
email address and website
seoulinfoACS@state.gov https://kr.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CABEI, CD, CICA, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, FATF, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club (associate), PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction