Korean statesman and president of South Korea (194860), born near Kaesong, S North Korea. Imprisoned (18971904) for his part in an independence campaign, he later went to the USA, returning to Japanese-annexed Korea in 1910. After the unsuccessful rising of 1919, he became president of the exiled Korean Provisional Government. On Japan's surrender (1945) he returned to become the first elected president of South Korea. Re-elected for a fourth term (1960), he was obliged to resign after a month following major riots and the resignation of his cabinet. He went into exile in Honolulu.
| Syngman Rhee | |
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1st President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea 1st-3rd President of South Korea |
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In office April 10, 1919 – 1925 (Provisional Government) July 20, 1948 - May 3, 1960 |
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| Vice President(s) |
Ahn Chang-ho (Provisional Government) Yi Si-yeong |
| Preceded by |
The first President (succeeding Emperor Sunjong) Kim Gu (the last President of the Provisional Government) |
| Succeeded by |
Park Eunsik (Provisional Government) Yun Po-sun |
| Born |
March 26, 1875 Hwanghae, Korea |
| Died |
July 19, 1965 Honolulu, Hawai`i, United States |
| Syngman Rhee | |
|---|---|
| Hangul: | 이승만 or 리승만 |
| Hanja: | 李承晩 |
| Revised Romanization: | I Seungman or Ri Seungman |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Yi Sŭngman or Ri Sŭngman |
Syngman Rhee or Lee Seungman (March 26, 1875 – July 19, 1965) was the first president of South Korea.
Early life
Rhee was born in Whanghai Province to Rhee Kyong-sun, a member of the aristocratic Yangban family.
Presidency
After Korea was liberated, Rhee returned to Seoul before the other independence leaders, since he was the only one well known to the Allies.
Rhee was elected the first president of South Korea on 10 May 1948 by a parliamentary vote, defeating Kim Koo, the last president of the Provisional Government by a count of 180-16 after left-wing parties boycotted the election.
As president, Rhee assumed dictatorial powers even before the Korean War broke out in 1950.
Rhee further damaged his reputation by encouraging the citizens of Seoul, the nation's capital, to remain in the city while he himself was already on his way to refuge as war broke out. When UN and South Korean forces fought back and drove the North Koreans north towards the Yalu River only to retreat to a line around current DMZ because of Chinese counterattack, Rhee became unpopular with his allies for refusing to agree to a number of ceasefire proposals that would have left Korea divided.
On January 18, 1952, Rhee declared South Korean sovereignty over the waters around the Korean peninsula, in a concept similar to that of today's exclusive economic zones.
Throughout his rule, Rhee sought to take additional steps to cement his control of government. In May 1952 (shortly after being elected to a second term), when the government was still based in Busan due to the ongoing war, Rhee pushed through constitutional amendments which made the presidency a directly-elected position.
Rhee's prospects for reelection during the presidential campaign of 1956 initially seemed dim. Shin's sudden death while on the campaign trail, however, allowed Rhee to win the presidency with ease.
Resignation
By 1960, Rhee already served three terms in office. The real contest was in the race for vice president (held separately under the law of the time), and Rhee's heir apparent Yi Gi-bung was declared the victor in an election that the opposition claimed was rigged.
On April 28, a DC-4 belonging to the CIA operated Civil Air Transport swiped Rhee out of South Korea and away from the clutches of a lynch mob that was closing in. Kim Yong Kap, Rhee's Deputy Minister of Finance, revealed that President Rhee had embezzled $20 million in government funds.
Legacy
Rhee's legacy has been in considerable dispute. This mixed assessment of Rhee's legacy is evident in the way he is addressed posthumously: instead of president, he is usually called with the honorific Baksa (박사, meaning "Doctor"), a modest prefix for the first leader of South Korea.
Rhee's former residence in Seoul, Ihwajang, is currently used for the presidential memorial museum, and Woo-Nam Presidential Preservation Foundation has been set up to honour his legacy. Also, once when Hawkeye (Donald Sutherland) takes the young Korean mess hall boy, and his friend, Ho-Jon, to get a medical checkup, he tells the South Korean guards that "This is Syngman Rhee's son, he goes right in" to get him better treatment.
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