Syngman Rhee and South Korea Flashcards

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Who was Syngman Rhee?

He was a Korean nationalist leader who became the first president of South Korea after the Second World War.

The USA supported Rhee because he was strongly anti-communist and they wanted South Korea to stay non-communist.

It was set up in 1948, with Syngman Rhee as its first president.

Although he was elected, he ruled in an authoritarian way. He limited free speech, controlled the press and helped fix elections.

He used the police and army to arrest, jail and sometimes kill them. This created fear and resentment in South Korea.

He wanted to unite North and South Korea under his own rule and often talked about attacking the North to do this.

His threats to invade the North alarmed Kim Il Sung and his allies. It encouraged both sides to build up their armies.

He led a separate South Korean state and refused to work with communists. This helped turn the line at the 38th parallel into a fixed border.

He ruled harshly and was often corrupt. The weak economy and lack of freedom led to protests and rebellions.

After he was accused of rigging elections, huge student protests broke out. He lost US support, resigned and went into exile.