All South Korean Presidents in Their 40s Came to Power Through Coups
Macron, Sanna Marin... In Other Countries, National Leaders in Their 30s
No Presidents in Their 30s in the U.S., Where the Minimum Candidacy Age Is 35
Lee Jun-seok, a member of the Reform New Party, has officially declared his first presidential bid by promoting the 'generation of 40s' theory, drawing attention to the ages of past presidents at their inauguration. While the average age of South Korea's past and current presidents at inauguration is in their 60s, there have been cases abroad where national leaders in their 30s have emerged.
Among South Korean presidents, only Park Chung-hee (46) and Chun Doo-hwan (49) took office in their 40s. Park, a military academy graduate, seized power in May 1961 by overthrowing the Chang Myon cabinet with fellow military officers and served as president from 1963 to 1979, a total of 16 years. Including his time as chairman of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction (1961?1963), his rule extended to 18 years. Chun also came to power through the December 12 military coup in 1979. Thus, all South Korean presidents who took office in their 40s came to power through coups.
Therefore, if an early presidential election becomes a reality and Lee, who will turn 40 in March 2025 (born March 1985), wins, he will become the youngest presidential candidate and the youngest president. So far, the youngest presidential candidate title belongs to Kim Jae-yeon of the Progressive Party, who ran in the 20th presidential election at age 41. The minimum age to run for president in South Korea is 40.
The average age at inauguration of 13 past and current South Korean presidents is 61.3 years. Based on their inauguration dates, seven presidents?Lee Myung-bak (67), Kim Young-sam (66), Moon Jae-in (64), Yun Bo-seon (63), Choi Kyu-hah (60), Park Geun-hye (61), and Yoon Suk-yeol?were in their 60s. Two presidents each took office in their 50s?Roh Moo-hyun (57) and Roh Tae-woo (56)?and in their 70s?Syngman Rhee (73) and Kim Dae-jung (74).
In contrast, 30-something national leaders are occasionally elected abroad. The youngest current president worldwide is Daniel Noboa, the 37-year-old president of Ecuador, born in 1987. He took office in November 2023 at age 35, campaigning on strengthening public security and pro-business policies. He is scheduled to participate in a runoff election for re-election in April.
The youngest prime minister in Europe was Sanna Marin, former prime minister of Finland. Having been elected as a city councilor in her mid-20s, she served as Minister of Transport and Communications in 2019 and was elected prime minister at age 34 in December of the same year.
Emmanuel Macron, who holds the title of France's youngest president, also took office in his late 30s. He first gained public attention as the youngest minister in his mid-30s, serving as Minister of Economy, and was elected president in May 2017 at age 39. He was re-elected in 2022 and is expected to complete his term in May 2027.
In the United States, where the minimum age to run for president is 35, no president has been elected in their 30s. Former U.S. presidents who took office in their 40s include Barack Obama (47) in 2009, Bill Clinton (46), and John F. Kennedy (43). Donald Trump, inaugurated in January this year at age 78, became the oldest U.S. president in history.
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