The Government in Korea, Republic of

The Constitution of the Republic of South Korea divides the national government into 3 branches: executive, judicial, and legislative. Elections are supervised by the National Election Commission of South Korea.

The Executive office is led by the president. It consists of the State Council, various ministries and agencies, as and the office of the Presidential Commission. The president is elected every 5 years through a popular voting system with no opportunity for reelection. The president acts as the head of government, head of state and chief officer of the South Korean armed forces. The Prime Minister is selected by the president with the approval of the National Assembly. The prime minister acts an assistant to the president and takes control of the state in case the president to perform his duties. The South Korean government has 18 ministries each headed by a minister appointed by the president.

The Legislative branch is constituted by a unicameral legislature, the National Assembly of South Korea. It has 299 representatives majority of which are elected via single-member constituencies but 56 are voted by proportional representation. Every member of the National Assembly serves for 4 years.

The Judicial branch is directed by the Constitutional Court which consists of 9 justices; 3 are recommended by the president, 3 by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and 3 by the National Assembly. The president appoints the President of the Constitutional Court with the support of the National Assembly. Constitutional reviews and deciding impeachment cases are the main responsibilities of the Constitution Court. The Supreme Court oversees other judicial affairs which is also serves as the final court of appeal for all cases in South Korean law.