The first lady of the Republic of Korea (Korean: 대한민국 대통령 영부인; Hanja: 大韓民國 大統領 令夫人), commonly known as the first lady of South Korea, is the title held by the hostess of the presidential residence, usually the wife of the president of South Korea.
| First Lady of the Republic of Korea | |
|---|---|
| 대한민국 대통령 영부인 | |
| Residence | Presidential residence |
| Inaugural holder | Franziska Donner |
| Formation | 24 July 1948 (72 years ago) |
| Unofficial names | First Lady of South Korea |
| Website | (in English) eng.president.go.kr (in Korean) president.go.kr |
The current first lady is Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Suk Yeol, in office since 10 May 2022.
History
During the administration of President Park Chung Hee, the first lady Yuk Young-soo was killed. Afterwards, Park's daughter, Park Geun-hye, assumed the duties of first lady after her mother.[1]
Park Geun-hye later became president herself, making her the first, and to date only, female president of South Korea. However, as she was never married while in office, there has yet to be a first gentleman of Korea.[2]
List of first ladies of the Republic of Korea
| President No. | Picture | Name | Tenure | Age at the start of tenure | President (Husband, unless noted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Franziska Donner (프란체스카 도너) Birth country: Austria June 15, 1900 – March 19, 1992 (aged 91) | August 15, 1948 – April 26, 1960 | 48 years, 61 days | Rhee Syng-man m. October 8, 1934 |
| 2 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| 4 |  | Gong Deok-gwi (공덕귀 / 孔德貴) April 21, 1911 – November 24, 1997 (aged 86) | August 13, 1960 – March 23, 1962 | 49 years, 114 days | Yun Posun m. January 6, 1949 |
| 5 |  | Yuk Young-soo (육영수 / 陸英修) November 29, 1925 – August 15, 1974 (aged 48) | December 17, 1963 – August 15, 1974 | 38 years, 18 days | Park Chung Hee m. December 12, 1950 |
| 6 | |||||
| 7 | |||||
| 8 | |||||
 | Park Geun-hye[note 1] (박근혜 / 朴槿惠) Born February 2, 1952 | August 16, 1974 – October 26, 1979 | 22 years, 195 days | Park Chung Hee (daughter) | |
| 9 | |||||
| 10 |  | Hong Gi (홍기 / 洪基) March 3, 1916 – July 20, 2004 (aged 88) | December 6, 1979 – August 15, 1980 | 63 years, 278 days | Choi Kyu-hah m. 1935 |
| 11 |  | Lee Soon-ja (이순자 / 李順子) Born March 24, 1939 | September 1, 1980 – February 24, 1988 | 41 years, 161 days | Chun Doo-hwan m. 1958 |
| 12 | |||||
| 13 |  | Kim Ok-suk (김옥숙 / 金玉淑) Born September 8, 1935 | February 25, 1988 – February 24, 1993 | 52 years, 198 days | Roh Tae-woo m. 1959 |
| 14 |  | Son Myung-soon (손명순 / 孫命順) January 16, 1929 – March 7, 2024 (aged 95) | February 25, 1993 – February 24, 1998 | 64 years, 40 days | Kim Young-sam m. 1951 |
| 15 |  | Lee Hee-ho (이희호 / 李姬鎬) September 21, 1922 – June 10, 2019 (aged 96) | February 25, 1998 – February 24, 2003 | 75 years, 157 days | Kim Dae-jung m. 1962 |
| 16 |  | Kwon Yang-sook (권양숙 / 權良淑) Born December 23, 1947 | February 25, 2003 – February 24, 2008 | 55 years, 64 days | Roh Moo-hyun m. 1973 |
| 17 | .jpg) | Kim Yoon-ok (김윤옥 / 金潤玉) Born March 26, 1947 | February 25, 2008 – February 24, 2013 | 60 years, 336 days | Lee Myung-bak m. December 19, 1970 |
| 18 | Vacant[note 2] | February 25, 2013 – March 10, 2017 | Park Geun-hye | ||
| 19 |  | Kim Jung-sook (김정숙 / 金正淑) Born November 15, 1954 | May 10, 2017 – May 9, 2022 | 62 years, 176 days | Moon Jae-in m. 1981 |
| 20 | _(cropped).jpg) | Kim Keon-hee (김건희 / 金建希) Born September 2, 1972 | May 10, 2022 – Incumbent | 49 years, 250 days | Yoon Suk Yeol m. 2012 |