List of presidents of South Korea by age

Under the 1988 Constitution of the Sixth Republic of Korea, the president must be at least 40 years old at the time of taking office. The median age of presidents upon assuming office is 61 years. The youngest person to become president was Park Chung Hee, who assumed office in 1962 at the age of 44, after he seized power in the May 16 coup of 1961. The youngest president to assume office by election is Roh Tae-woo, who was elected in 1987 at the age of 55. The oldest person to assume the presidency was Kim Dae-jung, he assumed office in 1998 at the age of 74.

The youngest president at the end of his tenure is Chun Doo-hwan, he left office in 1988 at the age of 57. The president with the shortest lifespan was Park Chung Hee, he was assassinated in 1979 at the age of 61. All presidents have lived above the age of 60. 8 presidents were in their 60s when they assumed office, 2 were in their 70s, and 4 were below 60. 61 years is the mean, median and modal age of presidents at assumption of office, it is also the modal age upon leaving office, as 3 presidents were 61 when they left office. Only Chun Doo-hwan was below 60 when he left office. The oldest president at the end of his tenure was Rhee Syng-man at 85.

Yoon Suk Yeol retirement, now 1 year, 137 days is currently the shortest, Chun Doo-hwan's retirement of 33 years is the longest in South Korea's history. At age 84, Lee Myung-bak is the oldest of the five living presidents. Yun Po-sun who died in 1990 aged 92 is the nation's longest-lived president. Three presidents (Yun, Chun and Rhee) lived into their 90s, 4 died in their 80s, and 2 in their 60s. Lee Jae-myung, the current president, is also the youngest living president at age 62. The youngest living former president is Yoon Suk Yeol, age 65.

This is a list of presidents of South Korea by age at assuming office from the youngest to the oldest.

This table shows presidents by their longevity (living presidents in gold).

This table charts the age of each president of South Korea at the time of assuming office, upon leaving office, and at the time of death. Where the president is still living, their lifespan and post presidential timespan are calculated up to 19 August 2026.

This is a graphical lifespan timeline of presidents of South Korea as well as their terms in the National Assembly. The presidents are listed in order of office.