South Korea — Government (2022–2025)
South Korea
Basis for the estimate: Yoon government: conservative, pro-U.S.-Japan alignment, December 2024 martial law declaration and impeachment.
Official system and how it worked in practice
| Official system | Presidential republic |
|---|---|
| In practice, 2022–2023 | Liberal democracy electoral democracy plus strong rule of law, judicial and legislative checks, and protected individual rights |
| In practice, 2024 | Electoral democracy free and fair multiparty elections and basic freedoms |
| In practice, 2025 | Liberal democracy electoral democracy plus strong rule of law, judicial and legislative checks, and protected individual rights |
“In practice” is V-Dem’s Regimes of the World classification for South Korea, 2022–2025, from expert-coded data (V-Dem Regimes of the World (v2x_regime), V-Dem dataset v16, March 2026). V-Dem codes each country as it stood at the end of each year, so the first and last years can reflect the previous or next government. The official system is the constitutional form during the period.
Political placement
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 66 | toward market | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 59 | near the center | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 58 | near the center | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 70 | toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 70 | toward intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 73 | toward private ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 60 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 70 | toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 65 | near the center |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 57 | near the center |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 65 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 45 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 70 | toward intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 46 | near the center |
Country and government scores interpret the policies of a specific government or period; they are not an authoritative ranking of countries, and official constitutional structures can differ from how power is exercised in practice. How scores are made.
Key positions (estimated)
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Foreign wars should be avoided unless national territory is directly threatened. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Class distinctions should gradually disappear. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Medical gender transition should not be available to minors. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| National security can justify restrictions on what journalists publish. | Agrees | estimated |
| The state should be able to restrict public gatherings during political unrest. | Agrees | estimated |
Closest ideologies
Most similar governments
Sources
- Wikipedia: Presidency of Yoon Suk Yeol (Wikipedia search)
Last reviewed October 11, 2026.