A Brief History of Korea, Republic of

The establishment of the US military government in Incheon on September 8, 1945 after the defeat of the Japanese to the Allied Powers signals the beginning of South Korea’s history. Lt. General John R. Hodge took control of the newly created government. During this period, South Korea was under great political and economic chaos because of different reasons including the effects of the war. The nation’s first constitution was established on July 17, 1948 following the general election of May 10, 1948. Consequently, the First Republic of South Korea was officially founded on August 15 with Syngman Rhee as the first president.

South Korea’s Second Republic was characterized by immense democratic ruling. Yun Po Sun was voted president on August 13, 1960 with Prime Minister Chang Myon acting as head of government. On May 16, 1961 Major General Park Chung-hee headed a coup d’ etat putting that eventually overthrew the Second Republic. Park was reelected in the 1967 election assumed presidency for 2 years and again won the elections in 1969 and 1971. During his administration, South Korea began to establish its international roles in the global community and its economy also grew significantly. In November 21, 1972, the country adopted the Yusin Constitution that provided Park with valuable control of the parliament. In 1979, Park was assassinated by Kim Jae-kyu that resulted in strong opposition against authoritarian rule and the Fifth Republic emerged. The city of Gwangju witnessed a historical and violent conflicts and riots among National University students and the armed forces.

The Sixth Republic started with Roh Tae-woo who was elected in 1987 and one of Major General Chun Doo-hwan’s colleagues. In 1992, Kim Young-sam was elected president and became South Korea’s first civilian leader in 30 years. During this period, the country pursued the so-called “Sunshine Policy” which was a progression of efforts to resolve issues with North Korea.