Legal System of South Korea

South Korea is located in East N Southeast Asia. It is geographically situated in eastern asia, southern half of the korean peninsula bordering the sea of japan and the yellow sea. The country achieved independence on 15 august 1945 (from japan). The capital is Seoul.

Government Overview

Government Type: presidential republic Chief of State: President LEE Jae-myung (since 4 June 2025) Head of Government: Prime Minister KIM Min-seok (since 3 July 2025) Cabinet: State Council appointed by the president on the prime minister’s recommendation 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 National Holiday: Liberation Day, 15 August (1945) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of South Korea is described as mixed system combining European civil law, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought International Law: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following 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

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) Judge Selection: 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 Subordinate Courts: High Courts; District Courts; Branch Courts (organized under the District Courts); specialized courts for family and administrative issues

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of unicameral

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of South Korea Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

The first recorded kingdom (Choson) on the Korean Peninsula dates from approximately 2300 B.C. Over the subsequent centuries, three main kingdoms -- Kogoryo, Baekche, and Silla -- were established on the Peninsula. By the 5th century A.D., Kogoryo emerged as the most powerful, with control over much of the Peninsula and part of Manchuria (modern-day northeast China). However, Silla allied with the Chinese to create the first unified Korean state in 688.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of South Korea based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.