🇰🇷 South Korea: Politics & Democracy
Yes — with a V-Dem liberal democracy score of 73.9 (on a 0–100 scale), South Korea ranks among the world's strong liberal democracies.
Current leaders
Lee Jae Myung
Head of State · Democratic Party of Korea
Democracy trend
Voting alignment
South Korea's closest UN General Assembly voting partners since 1946:
Frequently asked questions
Is South Korea a democracy?
Yes — with a V-Dem liberal democracy score of 73.9 (on a 0–100 scale), South Korea ranks among the world's strong liberal democracies. It ranks #22 of 179 countries in 2025.
Is democracy in South Korea improving or declining?
South Korea's V-Dem liberal democracy score has improved by 14.0 points over the past decade, standing at 73.9 in 2025 (1-year change: +11.2).
Who leads South Korea?
Lee Jae Myung is South Korea's head of state (Democratic Party of Korea).