The Powers of the Executive: South Korea
The executive of South Korea, otherwise known as the president has powers that are constitutionally derived. Although, his powers are constitutionally derived, over the years, the presidents have been losing power due to the fact that the Constitution has been amended nine times, the last time being on October 29, 1987. The changes in the Constitution limited the powers of the president and it also gave more power to the legislature with the overall intention of protecting human rights. The changes in the Constitution played a part in making South Korea a more democratic and free society. The National Assembly is the other body besides the president that receives a lot of the constitutional derived power since the president needs their consent in order to make a lot of decisions such as appointing justices. The president has five major powers under the political system that is described in the constitution. The first being that the president is the head of state meaning that he/she represents the nation as a whole and its foreign affairs. In other words, other countries look at the president in order to determine the stability of South Korea. The president receives foreign diplomats, awards decorations and other honors and grants and pardons. Second, the president takes on the role of being the chief administrator. His/ her task as the chief administrator is to enforce laws which are passed by the legislature while still issuing orders. The president has the power to appoint public officials such as the prime minister and heads of executive agencies. The third power is that the president is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, giving him authority over military policy and giving him the power to declare war. The fourth power makes the president the nation’s top diplomat and foreign policy maker. This means the president has the power to dispatch diplomatic messengers and signs treaties with foreign nations. Last but not least, the president is chief policy maker and key lawmaker. He may propose legislative bills and express his views to the National Assembly. The president by no means can get rid of the National Assembly; the National Assembly however, has the ability to impeach the president. The president performs all of his/her executive duties through a cabinet that is made up of 15 to 30 members whom the president is ultimately in charge of. Although, the president has formal powers which are clearly stated in the constitution, there are also some implied