Formation of the Republic of Korea

According to the Soviet-American agreement concluded in the late summer of 1945, Korea was divided into two zones of influence. The American zone was located south of the 38th parallel, and the Soviet zone was located north. The Republic of Korea was established in 1948. Despite active opposition from leftist forces, elections for the Constitutional Assembly were held in South Korea on May 10, and on July 17, it promulgated the country's constitution. According to this constitution, South Korea became a presidential republic. Syngman Rhee was elected the first president of the Republic of Korea, ruling the country until 1960. That same year, 1948, the state symbols— the flag and anthem— were approved . The constitution made it impossible to restore the monarchy, which had fallen in 1910 as a result of the Japanese annexation of Korea. The heir to the throne, Lee Un (one of the sons of the deposed King Gojong), returned to the country only in 1963 as a private citizen.

History of South Korea

Since its inception, the South Korean state has come a long way, including through the devastating and brutal war with the North from 1950 to 1953. Since the war, democratic rule has repeatedly given way to military dictatorship, and relative democracy to rampant terror. The bicameral parliament has become unicameral and vice versa. Presidential power has sometimes been greatly strengthened, sometimes somewhat weakened. However, a significant degree of economic freedom has remained, which inevitably led to economic growth and, ultimately, to the firm establishment of democracy in the country. The latest version of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea came into force on February 25, 1988, after approval in a national referendum.

South Korea is a presidential republic.

Today, South Korea is known as the Sixth Republic, a term that began in 1987, following the transfer of power from the authoritarian Fifth Republic of Chun Doo-hwan. Current President Lee Myung-bak was sworn in in February 2008. He worked for the Hyundai Corporation for a long time, rising from a rank-and-file employee to chairman of the board. Before running for president, Lee Myung-bak served as the elected mayor of Seoul for five years . In this role, he became very popular thanks to such "green" projects, which gained widespread recognition far beyond Korea's borders, as the restoration of the Cheonggyecheon Stream in the heart of Seoul and the creation of the Seoul Forest. The president is elected for a five-year term by direct popular vote and cannot be re-elected for a second term. The president appoints the prime minister and ministers (candidates must be approved by the parliament) and is the supreme commander-in-chief of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.

Legislative power in the Republic of Korea

Legislative power in the Republic of Korea is vested in a unicameral parliament, the National Assembly, to which 299 members are elected for a four-year term. Of these, 243 are elected in single-member constituencies, while the remaining 56 parliamentary seats are divided by a proportional system among parties that receive three percent or more of all valid votes cast, or at least five seats in local constituency elections. The Korean parliament does not meet year-round; its session typically lasts from September to December, although, if necessary, additional sessions of up to a month are convened.