President Park Geun-hye of South Korea is impeached by the country's National Assembly in response to a major political scandal. Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn becomes Acting President, later denying to run for a full term.
The president of the Republic of Korea (Korean: 대한민국 대통령; Hanja: 大韓民國 大統領; RR: Daehanmin-guk daetongnyeong), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; Korean: 대통령), is the leader of the State Council of the Republic of Korea. The president is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea and is the chief administrative authority of the executive branch of the national government as well as the Commander in Chief of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.
The Constitution and the amended Presidential Election Act of 1987 provide for election of the president by direct, secret ballot, ending sixteen years of indirect presidential elections under the preceding two governments. The president is directly elected to a five-year term, with no possibility of re-election. If a presidential vacancy should occur, a successor must be elected within sixty days, during which time presidential duties are to be performed by the South Korean prime minister or other senior cabinet members in the order of priority as determined by law. While in office, the chief executive lives in Cheongwadae (the "Blue House"), and is exempt from criminal liability (except for insurrection or treason).
Moon Jae-in, former human rights lawyer and chief of staff to then-President Roh Moo-hyun, assumed post of president of South Korea on 10 May 2017 immediately upon being elected with a plurality of 41.1%, in contrast to 24.0% and 21.4% won by his major opponents, conservative Hong Joon-pyo and centrist Ahn Cheol-soo, respectively, constitutionally replacing Park Geun-hye following her removal from the office.People Power Party's Yoon Suk-yeol is scheduled to assume office on May 10, 2022, after he defeated Democratic Party's nominee Lee Jae-myung in the 2022 South Korean presidential election.