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Born in Hwanghae Province, Joseon, Rhee attended an American Methodist school, where he converted to Christianity. He became a Korean independence activist and was imprisoned for his activities in 1899.
Sep 6, 2024 · Syngman Rhee (born March 26, 1875, P’yŏngsan, Hwanghae province, Korea [now in North Korea]—died July 19, 1965, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.) was the first president of the Republic of Korea (South Korea).
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Early Life
- Study in The United States
- Korean Provisional Government and Marriage
- Presidency
- Korean War
- After The Korean War
- Resignation
- Legacy
- References
Rhee was born March 26, 1875, in Hwanghae Province to Rhee Kyong-sun, a member of an impoverished aristocratic yangban family. Rhee was descended from Prince Hyo-nyong, the second son of King Taejong of Joseon. Rhee received a traditional classical Confucian education and then enrolled in a Methodistschool, where he studied English. He became a nat...
In 1904, the Yi government selected Rhee, because of his knowledge of English, to go to the United States in order to implement the United States-Korea Friendship Treaty signed in 1885. In 1905, Rhee Syngman met Theodore Roosevelt in Washington, and pleaded in vain for American support for Korean independence. He obtained several degrees, including...
In mid-1910, Rhee returned to Korea, where he lived at the Seoul YMCA and worked as a teacher and a Christian missionary. Korea had by this time been annexed by Japan, and his political activism attracted unwelcome attention from the occupying army. Rhee left for China in 1912, and emigrated to Hawaii, where he took a position as headmaster of a Me...
After World War II, when the government of the United States was seeking a suitable candidate for the Korean presidency, Rhee Syngman was the only Korean leader well-known to them. General MacArthurasked Chiang Kai Sek to recommend a Korean leader, and was given the names of Kim Ku and Rhee Syngman. On October 12, 1945, General MacArthur ordered Sy...
The United States army began to withdraw from Korea in June 1949, apparently not considering the area to be strategically important. Secretary of State Dean Achesonargued that if South Korea was attacked,"The initial reliance must be on the people attacked to resist it and then upon the commitments of the entire civilized world under the Charter of...
Throughout his rule, Rhee sought to take additional steps to cement his control of the government. In May 1952 (shortly after being elected to a second term), when the government was still based in Busandue to the ongoing war, Rhee pushed through constitutional amendments which made the presidency a directly-elected position. In order to do this, h...
By 1960, Rhee already served three terms in office. Over the years his regime had come to be regarded as authoritarian, corrupt and inefficient. Rhee’s victory in the 1960 elections was assured when the main opposition candidate, Cho Byeong-ok, died shortly before the March 15 elections. Rhee won with 90 percent of the vote. The real contest was in...
Rhee's legacy has been in considerable dispute. In general, conservative circles regard Rhee as the patriarch of the nation, while liberals tend to be critical of him. Rhee's former residence in Seoul, Ihwajang, is currently used as a presidential memorial museum, and the Woo-Nam Presidential Preservation Foundation has been set up to honor his leg...
Allen, Richard C. 1960. Korea's Syngman Rhee, an Unauthorized Portrait.Tokyo: C.E. Tuttle Co.Douglass, Paul. 1959. Syngman Rhee's Republic.Kleiner, Jürgen. 2001. Korea, a Century of Change. River Edge, N.J.: World Scientific. ISBN 9810246579Korea (South). 1954. Syngman Rhee Through Western Eyes.Seoul: Office of Public Information, Republic of Korea.Rhee Syngman (Yi Seung Man) was born into a rural family on March 26 (Lunar calendar), 1875 in Hwanghae Province. Rhee’s family came from the lineage of King Taejong of Joseon—he was a 16th-generation descendant of Grand Prince Yangnyeong—a fact that Rhee proudly disclosed during his time in America.
Nov 21, 2023 · Syngman Rhee was the first president of South Korea. He had converted to Christianity when he was a young man and became a committed nationalist and advocate for Korean independence.
- Syngman Rhee was a supporter of Korean independence. He served as president of the government in exile during the Japanese occupation and eventuall...
- North Korea invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. They initially overran much of South Korea but eventually were pushed back. The war ended in July...
- The first president of South Korea was Syngman Rhee. He was a nationalist and anti-communist, earning him support from the U.S. even though his pol...
Jun 27, 2018 · Rhee, Syngman (1875–1965) Korean statesman, first president (1948–60) of South Korea. Rhee was imprisoned (1898–1904) for his opposition to Japanese rule, before living (1912–45) in exile in the USA.
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Syngman Rhee (1875-1965) was a Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea between 1948 and 1960. Backed by the United States, Rhee’s rule was marred by corruption, repression and anti-democratic conduct.
