List of presidents of South Korea by age
Summary: South Korea’s presidents by age
- Age rule and pattern
- The president must be at least 40 when taking office.
- The typical age at start is about 61.
- Quick records
- Youngest to become president: Park Chung Hee, 44 (1962, after the 1961 coup).
- Youngest elected president: Roh Tae-woo, 55 (1987).
- Oldest to take office: Kim Dae-jung, 74 (1998).
- Youngest to finish a term: Chun Doo-hwan, 57 (1988).
- Oldest to finish a term: Rhee Syng-man, 85.
- Lifespans and age trends
- The shortest lifespan among presidents: Park Chung Hee, assassinated at 61 (1979).
- All presidents have lived past 60.
- Longest-lived president: Yun Po-sun, died at 92 (1990). Yun, Chun, and Rhee lived into their 90s.
- Rough mix by age at start: eight started in their 60s, two in their 70s, four below 60.
- Ages at start and end of terms
- The average, middle, and most common age at taking office is 61.
- The most common leaving age is also 61 (three presidents). Chun Doo-hwan is the only one to leave younger than 60.
- Retirement lengths
- Shortest post-presidency: Yoon Suk Yeol (about 304 days, per records).
- Longest post-presidency: Chun Doo-hwan (about 33 years).
- Living presidents (as of February 2, 2026)
- Oldest living president: Lee Myung-bak, 84.
- Current president: Lee Jae-myung, 62 (noted as the youngest living president).
- Former president: Yoon Suk Yeol, 65.
- Longest-lived among these leaders: Yun Po-sun, who died in 1990 at 92.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:34 (CET).