South Korean order of precedence

Before democratization in 1987, South Korea traditionally maintained a term Sambu-Yoin ({{Korean|hangul=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|hangul=사부요인|lit=VIPs from four branches of the government}}) or Ohbu-Yoin ({{Korean|hangul=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 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|hangul=삼부요인 및 헌법기관장}})

Following list is not a officially recognized South Korean order of precedence, yet conventionally used by writers and reporters.

1. President of the Republic of Korea
2. Speaker of the National Assembly
3. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and President of the Constitutional Court
4. Prime Minister
5. Chairperson of the National Election Commission
6. Chair of the Board of Audit and Inspection
7. Leaders of the parties represented in the National Assembly
8. Leader of the ruling party
9. Leaders of the oppositions
10. Deputy Speakers of the National Assembly (2)
11. Cabinet ministers (17)
12. Deputy Prime Ministers (2)
13. Minister of Economy and Finance (Deputy Prime Minister of Economy ex officio)
14. Minister of Education (Deputy Prime Minister of Social Affairs ex officio)
15. Other ministers of the Cabinet (15)
16. Minister of Foreign Affairs
17. Minister of Reunification of Korea
18. Minister of Justice
19. Minister of National Defense
20. Minister of Interior and Safety
21. Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism
22. Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
23. Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy
24. Minister of Health and Welfare
25. Minister of Environment
26. Minister of Employment and Labor
27. Minister of Gender Equality and Family
28. Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
29. Minister of Oceans and Fisheries
30. Minister of Small Businesses and Startups
31. Floor leaders in the National Assembly
32. Floor leader of the ruling party
33. Floor leaders of the oppositions
34. Chairs of the standing committees of the National Assembly (18)
35. Chair of the House Steering Committee
36. Chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee
37. Chair of the National Policy Committee
38. Chair of the National Strategy and Finance Committee
39. Chair of the Education Committee
40. Chair of the Science, Technology, Broadcasting and Communications Committee
41. Chair of the Foreign Affairs and Reunification Committee
42. Chair of the National Defense Committee
43. Chair of the Public Administration and Security Committee
44. Chair of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee
45. Chair of the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee
46. Chair of the Trade, Industry, Energy, Small Businesses and Startups Committee
47. Chair of the Health and Welfare Committee
48. Chair of the Environment and Labor Committee
49. Chair of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee
50. Chair of the Intelligence Committee
51. Chair of the Gender Equality and Family Committee
52. Chair of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts
53. Justices of the Supreme Court () and Justices of the Constitutional Court (8) (each In seniority of tenure)
54. Chiefs of agencies reporting to the Presidents (5)
55. Director of the National Intelligence Service
56. Chief Presidential Secretary
57. Chair of the National Security Council
58. Commissioner of the Broadcasting and Telecommunication
59. Chief of the Presidential Security Service
60. Prosecutor General
61. Chief of the National Assembly Secretariat
62. Chiefs of agencies reporting to the Prime Minister (9)
63. Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ()
64. Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (3)
65. Chief of Staff of the Army ()
66. Chief of Staff of the Navy ()
67. Chief of Staff of the Air Force ()
68. Operation commanders (In seniority of tenure)
69. Deputy Commander of ROK-US Combined Forces Command
70. Ground Operations Commander
71. Second Operations Commander
72. Commander of the Marine Corps ()
73. Members of the National Assembly (In seniority of tenure)

• Constitution of South Korea
• Politics of South Korea
• Order of precedence
• Constitutional institution

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Category:Orders of precedence

Category:Politics of South Korea

Category:Government of South Korea