Official name

Republic of Korea

Form of state

Presidential system; the president and the National Assembly (the legislature) are directly elected; National Assembly members are elected using a mixed system of first past the post and proportional representation

The executive

The president (elected for a single term of five years) appoints the State Council (cabinet), comprising the president, the prime minister and 15-30 ministers. Cabinet ministers are not normally members of the National Assembly

Head of state

Elected president

Legislature

Unicameral Kuk Hoe (National Assembly) of no fewer than 200 members, elected for a four-year term. The current assembly, which was elected in April 2008, has 299 seats, 245 of them filled by direct election and 54 distributed among parties in proportion to their shares of the vote. In February 2011 the conservative Grand National Party (GNP) had 171 members of parliament and the centre-left Democratic Party (DP) 85; smaller parties and independents held the remaining seats

National elections

December 2007 (presidential), April 2008 (parliamentary). The next parliamentary election is due in April 2012 and the next presidential poll is due in December 2012

National government

Lee Myung-bak of the GNP, a former mayor of South Korea's capital, Seoul, was elected president in December 2007 and began his five-year term in February 2008. The GNP won control of the National Assembly in the parliamentary election in April 2008. Lee Myung-bak will continue to seek support from other conservative parties to strengthen his control over parliament

Main political organisations

GNP, DP, Liberal Forward Party, Pro-Park Coalition, Democratic Labour Party

Main members of State Council

President: Lee Myung-bak

Prime minister: Kim Hwang-sik

Key ministers

Defence: Kim Kwan-jin

Education, science & technology: Lee Ju-ho

Employment & labour: Bahk Jae-wan

Foreign affairs & trade: Kim Sung-hwan

Health, welfare & family affairs: Chin Soo-hee

Justice: Lee Kwi-nam

Knowledge economy: Choi Joong-kyung

Land, transport & maritime affairs: Chung Jong-hwan

Public administration & security: Maeng Hyung-kyu

Strategy & finance: Yoon Jeung-hyun

Unification: Hyun In-taek

Central bank governor

Kim Choong-soo