The Republic of Korea has no officially recognized South Korean order of precedence, [1] yet the Office of the President(EOP) once officially declared order of precedence among the chiefs of 6 highest constitutional institutions in year 2006 as following: [2]
Before democratization in 1987, South Korea traditionally maintained a term Sambu-Yoin( Korean: 삼부요인; Hanja: 三府要人; lit. VIPs from three branches of the government) which depicts the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister, as symbol for tripartite separation of powers. This term was usually used when the President of the Republic of Korea invites Sambu-Yoin to important national ceremonies, regarding the President of the Republic of Korea as a somewhat higher office distinguished from each three branches of the government, which is represented by the Sambu-Yoin.
After democratization, South Korea established the Constitutional Court of Korea as constitutional court independent from the old Supreme Court. Yet the exact position of the President of the Constitutional Court inside the order of precedence among Sambu-Yoin remained as potential question. Some of writers tried to call chiefs of highest constitutional institutions other than the President of the Republic of Korea, including the Constitutional Court and the National Election Committee(NEC), as Sabu-Yoin( Korean: 사부요인; lit. VIPs from four branches of the government) or Ohbu-Yoin( Korean: 오부요인; lit. VIPs from five branches of the government), as regarding the Constitutional Court as fourth branch and the National Election Committee as fifth branch of the government, even though the South Korea had never regarded the Constitutional Court and the National Election Committee as separated branch of government. This continued disorder got escalated when the EOP tried to demote protocol rank of the President of the Constitutional Court under the Prime Minister, when the Constitutional Court made several decisions nullifying policies of the national President around 2004-2006. The President of the Constitutional Court boycotted some of national ceremonies to oppose such demotion, and the EOP had no choice but to restore the rank of the constitutional court President over the Prime Minister.
So in 2006, EOP declared that 5 chiefs of highest constitutional institutions other than the national President as following order: the Speaker comes first as leader of legislature, and both of the supreme court Chief and the constitutional court President comes second as co-leader of judiciary. Following rank was given to the Prime Minister as deputy leader of executive branch, and the Chair of NEC got the bottom rank as head of constitutionally independent agency. An also at the same time, EOP declared that Sabu-Yoin or Ohbu-Yoin is not a legally correct term, since South Korea is a country with a tripartite system of power separation by the Constitution, not a Five-Power Constitution as Taiwan. The EOP suggested using term 'Sambu-Yoin plus the head of constitutional institution'( Korean: 삼부요인 및 헌법기관장) [2]
No. | Office | Image | Incumbent | In office since | Political role |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st |
![]() President of the Republic of Korea |
![]() |
Yoon Suk Yeol | 10 May 2022 | The head of state and the leader of executive branch |
2nd |
![]() Speaker of the National Assembly |
![]() |
Kim Jin-pyo | 4 July 2022 | Sambu-Yoin representing the leader of legislature |
3rd |
![]() Chief Justice of the Supreme Court |
![]() |
Jo Hee-de | 8 December 2023 | Sambu-Yoin representing the co-leader of judiciary |
![]() President of the Constitutional Court |
![]() |
Lee Jong-seok | 30 November 2023 | Sambu-Yoin representing the co-leader of judiciary | |
4th |
![]() Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea |
![]() |
Han Duck-soo | 21 May 2022 | Sambu-Yoin representing the deputy leader of executive branch |
Following list is not a officially recognized South Korean order of precedence, yet conventionally used by writers and reporters. [1]