A U T U M N 2 0 1 7
The Government System of the
Republic of Korea
Background
The Republic of Korea is a democratic
republic with three main branches of
government, legislative, executive and
judicial branches. These branches work
in conjunction with one another as
checks and balances to one another.
Korea has a centralized government
that governs on the national level.
The highest member of the national
assembly is the president then the
prime minister followed by ministers.
The judiciary and executive act on the
national level, as the constitution
determines the structure of the
government.
Overview
Overall, the Republic of Korea is a
multi-party state, in which, elect the
president and the national assembly.
The National Election Commission
oversees these elections.
Each local government has individual
legislative and executive branches that
have autonomy. However, their
autonomy does not extent into the
ministry agencies and judiciary. These
branches work in order to keep the
checks and balances in their operations.
Emblem of the National
Government
Emblem of the
National Assembly
Legislative Branch
The legislative branch is made up of 300
members that make up the national
assembly. Individual constituencies elect 244
of these members and 56 members are
through proportional representation.
The function of this branch is to pass and
amend laws, audit the national budget, to
ratify treaties, and to approve state
appointments. The also have the ability to
impeach high officials.
Ministries
Ministries agency members, 17 members, of
the executive branch, these members are
appointed by the president. The prime
minister leads these ministers and they
report directly to the prime minister.
The individual ministry agencies report to
the minister and the prime minister directly.
President Moon Jae-In
since May 2017
Executive Branch
The president is elected by the people to
serve the people. They serve 5 years for
their term only once with no re-election.
The president is the only member to be
elected in this branch and the president
appoints the rest of the members.
The presidents role is as Commander-in-
Chief of the armed forces, Head of State
and National Assembly. They have the
power to declare a state of emergency and
war upon approval from the National
Assembly.
Judicial Branch
The judicial branch is made up of the
supreme courts and other tribunals across
the country. The president, upon consent
from the national assembly, appoints the
chief justice.
The Supreme Court heads the judiciary and
is the final court of appeal according to the
Korean Law.