ch'ong), Kangwon-do, Kyonggi-do,
Kyongsang-bukto (North Kyongsang), Kyongsang-namdo (South Kyongsang)
: metropolitan cities: Inch'on-gwangyoksi (Inchon),
Kwangju-gwangyoksi (Kwangju), Pusan-gwangyoksi (Pusan),
Soul-t'ukpyolsi (Seoul), Taegu-gwangyoksi (Taegu), Taejon-gwangyoksi
(Taejon), Ulsan-gwangyoksi (Ulsan)

Independence:
15 August 1945 (from Japan)

National holiday:
Liberation Day, 15 August (1945)

Constitution:
17 July 1948

Legal system:
combines elements of continental European civil law systems,
Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought

Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President ROH Moo-hyun (since 25 February 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hae-chan (since 25 May 2004);
Deputy Prime Ministers KIM Jin-pyo (since 28 January 2005), LEE
Hun-jai (since 10 February 2004), and OH Myung (since 18 October
2004)
elections: president elected by popular vote for single five-year
term; election last held 19 December 2002 (next to be held in
December 2007); prime minister appointed by president with consent
of National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by president
on prime minister's recommendation
election results: results of the 19 December 2002 election - ROH
Moo-hyun elected president; percent of vote - ROH Moo-hyun (MDP)
48.9%; LEE Hoi-chang (GNP) 46.6%; other 4.5%
cabinet: State Council appointed by the president on the prime
minister's recommendation

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats -- members
elected for four-year terms; 243 in single-seat constituencies, 56
by proportional representation
election results: percent of vote by party - Uri 51%, GNP 41%, DLP
3%, MDP 3%, others 2%; seats by party - Uri 152, GNP 121, DLP 10,
MDP 9, others 7 (2004)
elections: last held 15 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2008;
by-elections scheduled for April 2005))

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (justices appointed by president with consent of
National Assembly); Constitutional Court (justices appointed by
president based partly on nominations by National Assembly and Chief
Justice of the court)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Labor Party or DLP [KIM Hye-kyung, chairwoman]; Grand
National Party or GNP [PARK Geun-hye, chairwoman]; Millennium
Democratic Party or MDP [HAHN Hwa-kap, chairman]; United Liberal
Dem