This study investigated 24 character strengths of pre-service special education teachers and investigated the relation of their character strengths with perceived satisfaction with life and special education competences. In this study, 111 pre-service special education teachers of A and B universities located in Chungnam area participated. Participants completed Inventory of Character Strengths, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Special Education Competence Scale. Results are as follows. First, pre-service special education teachers scored relatively high in love, kindness, social intelligence, authenticity, appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, optimism, and humor and they scored lower in love of learning, forgiveness, spirituality etc. Additionally, pre-service special education teachers showed higher in curiosity, wisdom, bravery, persistence, vitality, leadership, appreciation of beauty and excellence, and gratitude pre-service university students. Gratitude was significantly associated with perceived satisfaction with life, optimism and self-regulation with special education understanding, and vitality, open-mindedness, and wisdom with pre-instruction competence. We discussed the results under the views of character strengths in general as well as special education competences in particular. Finally, the limitations, implications of this study and suggestions for future studies are discussed.