Political and Governmental Vocabulary in Korean

This post gives an overview of South Korea’s government along with teaching political and governmental vocabulary in Korean.
Click here to jump to the list of political and governmental vocabulary at the bottom of the post.

The Government of the Republic of Korea
대한민국정부

The Republic of Korea, also known as the ROK and South Korea, is a democratic republic. The government has three branches: the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. The ROK’s constitution was adopted on July 17th, 1948 and has been amended nine times.

Korean Flag in Korean 태극기

The Executive Branch 행정부

The executive branch is led by the president, 대통령, who is the only member of the executive branch that is elected. The president is elected by popular vote, serves one five-year term, and may not serve a second term. The president serves as head of government, head of state, and commander in chief.

박근혜 Park Geun-hye The 11th President of South Korea

박근혜 Park Geun-hye
The 11th President
2013-present


이명박 Lee Myung-bak The 10th President 2008-2013	노무현 No Moo-hyun The 9th President 2003-2008	김대중 Kim Dae-jung The 8th President 1998-2003	김영삼 Kim Young-sam The 7th President 1993-1998	노태우 Roh Tae-woo The 6th President 1988-1993

전두환 Chun Doo-hwan The 5th President 1980-1988	최규하 Choi Kyu-hah The 4th President 1979-1980	박정희 Park Chung-hee The 3rd President 1963-1979	윤보선 Yun Posun The 2nd President 1960-1962	이승만 Rhee Syngman The 1st President 1948-1960

Presidential Powers & Duties

According to Chapter 3 of the constitution of the Republic of Korea
Uphold the constitution
Protect and secure the Republic of Korea’s homeland
Work to peacefully reunify the Korean peninsula

Additional Powers and Duties
Control the military
Declare war
Declare a state of emergency
Lead the government
Issue executive orders
Veto bills
Introduce bills

South Korea Executive Branch Organizational Figure

The Blue House 청와대

The Blue House is where the President of South Korea lives. The Blue House is located in Seoul, 서울, the capital of South Korea. The Blue House was built at the site of a royal garden from the Joseon Dynasty, 조선 왕조. The Blue House actually refers to a number of buildings. The name “The Blue House” comes from the fact that about 150 thousand blue tiles cover the roofs of the buildings resembling traditional Korean architecture.

President Obama and 박근혜, Park Geun-hye, exiting the Blue House.

Address:
1, Cheongwadae-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 종로구 청와대로 1 (세종로)

The Legislative Branch 입법부

The South Korean legislative branch has only one chamber called the National Assembly of South Korea. The National Assembly has 300 members who serve four year terms. A person must be at least 30 years old to serve in the National Assembly. The National Assembly has built a reputation for legislative violence especially during the years 2004 to 2009. People used sledgehammers, fire extinguishers, fire hoses, and anything in arms reach at times during melees.

The National Assembly of South Korea 대한민국 국회

The National Assembly of South Korea’s duties:

1. Confirm the Government Budget, 정부 예산을 확인한다
The session to confirm the government budget begins on September 1st of each year and may last no longer than 100 days.

2. Amend the Constitution, 헌법을 개정하다

The Republic of Korea Constitutional Amendment Process

3. Pass and Amend Law, 법을 가결하고 개정하다

The Republic of Korea Law Passing Process

4. Ratify Treaties, 조약을 비준하다
The National Assembly has the power to ratify treaties with other countries.

Politics and Government Korean Vocabulary

Korean	English
입법부	legislative branch
대한민국	The Republic of Korea
국회	national assembly
정부	government
예산	budget
확인하다	check, confirm
헌법	constitution
개정하다	amend
법	law
가결하다	pass, approve
조약	treaty
비준하다	ratify

The Judicial Branch 사법부

The supreme court is the highest and consists of the cheif justice and 13 associate justices. The 13 associate justices are appointed by the president while the chief justice may not be reappointed.

The judicial branch consist of:

The Supreme Court, 최고 법원
High Courts, 고등 법원
District Courts, 지방 법원
Family Courts, 가정 법원
Patent Courts, 특허법원
Administrative Courts, 행정 법원