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The history of South Korea formally begins with its establishment on 15 August 1948, although Syngman Rhee had officially declared independence two days prior. In the aftermath of the Japanese occupation of Korea which ended with Japan's defeat in World War II in 1945, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel north in accordance with a United Nations arrangement, to be administered by the Soviet Union in the north and the United States in the south. The Soviets and Americans were unable to agree on the implementation of Joint Trusteeship over Korea. This led in 1948 to the establishment of two separate governments, each claiming to be the legitimate government of all of Korea. Eventually, following the Korean War, the two separate governments stabilized into the existing political entities of North and South Korea. South Korea's subsequent history is marked by alternating periods of democratic and autocratic rule. Civilian governments are conventionally numbered from the First Republic of Syngman Rhee to the contemporary Sixth Republic. The First Republic, arguably democratic at its inception, became increasingly autocratic until its collapse in 1960. The Second Republic was strongly democratic, but was overthrown in less than a year and replaced by an autocratic military regime. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Republics were nominally democratic, but are widely regarded as the continuation of military rule. With the Sixth Republic, the country has gradually stabilized into a liberal democracy. Since its inception, South Korea has seen substantial development in education, economy, and culture. Since the 1960s, the country has developed from one of Asia's poorest to one of the world's wealthiest nations. Education, particularly at the tertiary level, has expanded dramatically. It is said to be one of the "Four Tigers" of rising Asian states along with Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.〔(Will the four Asian tigers lead the way again in 2010 ), Times of Malta, 2010-02-01〕 ==U.S. Military administration 1945–1948== (詳細はHirohito announced the surrender of the Empire of Japan to the Allied Powers on 15 August 1945. General Order No. 1 for the surrender of Japan (prepared by the Joint Chiefs of Staff of U.S. military forces and approved on 17 August 1945) prescribed separate surrender procedures for Japanese forces in Korea north and south of the 38th parallel. After Japan's surrender to the Allies (formalised on 2 September 1945), division at the 38th parallel marked the beginning of Soviet and U.S. trusteeship over the North and South, respectively. This division was meant to be temporary and was first intended to return a unified Korea back to its people until the United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Republic of China could arrange a trusteeship administration. In February 1945 the Yalta Conference discussed the issue of trusteeship for Korea.〔Lee Hyun-hee (2005, pp 583–585)〕〔The Academy of Korean Studies (2005, pp150-153)〕〔(Yalta Conference ), Lillian Goldman Law Library〕 U.S. forces landed at Incheon on September 8, 1945 and established a military government shortly thereafter.〔Lee (1984, p. 374); Cumings (1997, p. 189).〕 Lt. General John R. Hodge, their commander, took charge of the government.〔Nahm, Cumings, loc. cit.〕 Faced with mounting popular discontent, in October 1945 Hodge established the Korean Advisory Council. A year later, an interim legislature and interim government were established, headed by Kim Kyu-shik and Syngman Rhee respectively. However, these interim bodies lacked any independent authority or ''de jure'' sovereignty, which was still held by the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea based in China, but U.S. leaders chose to ignore its legitimacy, partly because of it communist alignment.〔〔Michael Edson Robinson (2007, pp 107–108)〕 Political and economic chaos - arising from a variety of causes - plagued the country in this period. The after-effects of the Japanese exploitation remained in the South, as in the North.〔Nahm (1996, p. 351); Lee (1984, p. 375).〕 In addition, the U.S. military was largely unprepared for the challenge of administering the country, arriving with no knowledge of the language, culture or political situation.〔Nahm (1996, p. 340).〕 Thus many of their policies had unintended destabilizing effects. Waves of refugees from North Korea and returnees from abroad also helped to keep the country in turmoil.〔Lee (1984, p. 375).〕 In December 1945 a conference convened in Moscow to discuss the future of Korea.〔(Moscow conference )〕 A 5-year trusteeship was discussed, and a US-Soviet joint commission was established. The commission met intermittently in Seoul but deadlocked over the issue of establishing a national government. In September 1947, with no solution in sight, the United States submitted the Korean question to the UN General Assembly.〔〔 The resolution from the UN General Assembly called for a UN-supervised general election in Korea, but after the North rejected this proposition, a general election for a Constitutional Assembly took place in the South only, in May 1948. A constitution was adopted, setting forth a presidential form of government and specifying a four-year term for the presidency. According to the provisions of the Constitution, an indirect presidential election took place in July. Syngman Rhee, as head of the new assembly, assumed the presidency and proclaimed the Republic of Korea (South Korea) on August 15, 1948.〔The Academy of Korean Studies (2005, pp154-157; pp162-163)〕〔Lee Hyun-hee (2005, pp 584–586)〕〔(South Korea under US Occupation 1945–1948 ), Country studies: South Korea〕 ==First Republic 1948–1960== (詳細はSyngman Rhee as the first president. With the establishment of Rhee's government, de jure sovereignty also passed into the new government. On September 9, 1948, a communist regime, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), was proclaimed under Kim Il-sung.〔〔〔 However, on December 12, 1948, by its resolution 195 in the Third General Assembly, the United Nations recognized the Republic of Korea as the sole legal government of Korea.〔(Resolution 195, UN Third General Assembly )〕 In 1946, the North implemented land reforms by confiscating private property, Japanese and pro-Japanese owned facilities and factories, and placed them under state ownership.〔 Demand for land reform in the South grew strong, and it was eventually enacted in June 1949. Koreans with large landholdings were obliged to divest most of their land. Approximately 40 percent of total farm households became small landowners.〔(The Syngman Rhee era ), Country studies: South Korea〕 However, because preemptive rights were given to people who had ties with landowners before liberation, many pro-Japanese groups obtained or retained properties.〔 The country now divided, the relationship between the two Koreas turned more antagonistic as time passed. The Soviet forces having withdrawn in 1948, North Korea pressured the South to expel the United States forces, but Rhee sought to align his government strongly with America, and against both North Korea and Japan.〔Yang (1999, pp. 194–195).〕 Although talks towards normalization of relations with Japan took place, they achieved little.〔Yang (1999, p. 194).〕 Meanwhile, the government took in vast sums of American aid, in amounts sometimes near the total size of the national budget.〔Cumings (1997, p. 255, p. 306).〕 The nationalist government also continued many of the practices of the U.S. military government. In 1948, the Rhee government repressed military uprisings in Jeju, Suncheon and Yeosu.〔〔Cumings (1997, p. 221).〕 The main policy of the First Republic of South Korea was anti-communism and "unification by expanding northward". The South's military was neither sufficiently equipped nor prepared, but the Rhee administration was determined to reunify Korea by military force with aid from the United States. However, in the second parliamentary elections held on May 30, 1950, the majority of seats went to independents who did not endorse this position, confirming the lack of support and the fragile state of the nation.〔〔The Academy of Korean Studies (2005, pp166-171)〕〔Yang (1999, p. 193)〕 On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces invaded South Korea. Led by the U.S., a 16-member coalition undertook the first collective action under the United Nations Command (UNC) in defense of South Korea.〔The Academy of Korean Studies (2005, pp172-177)〕〔 (Procession of the 6.25 War and the UN ) at Doosan Encyclopedia〕〔Lee Hyun-hee (2005, pp 586–590)〕 Oscillating battle lines inflicted a high number of civilian casualties and wrought immense destruction. With the People's Republic of China's entry on behalf of North Korea in late 1950, the fighting came to a stalemate close to the original line of demarcation. Armistice negotiations, initiated in July 1951, finally concluded on July 27, 1953〔Korean Armistice Agreement〕 at Panmunjeom, now in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Following the armistice, the South Korean government returned to Seoul on the symbolic date of August 15, 1953.〔〔(The Korean War ), Country studies: South Korea〕 After the armistice, South Korea experienced political turmoil under years of autocratic leadership of Syngman Rhee, which was ended by student revolt in 1960. Throughout his rule, Rhee sought to take additional steps to cement his control of government. These began in 1952, when the government was still based in Busan due to the ongoing war. In May of that year, Rhee pushed through constitutional amendments which made the presidency a directly-elected position. To do this, he declared martial law, arrested opposing members of parliament, demonstrators, and anti-government groups. Rhee was subsequently elected by a wide margin.〔 (Rhee Syngman ) at Doosan Encyclopedia〕〔Lee Hyun-hee (2005, pp 588–590)〕〔The Academy of Korean Studies (2005, pp 178–181)〕 Rhee regained control of parliament in the 1954 elections, and thereupon pushed through an amendment to exempt himself from the eight-year term limit, and was once again re-elected in 1956.〔Institute of Historical Studies (2004, pp 320–321)〕 Soon after, Rhee's administration arrested members of the opposing party and executed the leader after accusing him of being a North Korean spy.〔〔 (Jo Bongam ) at Doosan Encyclopedia〕 The administration became increasingly repressive while dominating the political arena, and in 1958, it sought to amend the National Security Law to tighten government control over all levels of administration, including the local units.〔 These measures caused much outrage among the people, but despite public outcry, Rhee's administration rigged the March 15, 1960 presidential elections and won by a landslide.〔The Academy of Korean Studies (2005, pp 186–189)〕 On that election day, protests by students and citizens against the irregularities of the election burst out in the city of Masan. Initially these protests were quelled with force by local police, but when the body of a student was found floating in the harbor of Masan, the whole country was enraged and protests spread nationwide.〔〔 (Cause of the 4.19 Revolution ) at Doosan Encyclopedia〕 On April 19, students from various universities and schools rallied and marched in protest in the Seoul streets, in what would be called the April Revolution. The government declared martial law, called in the army, and suppressed the crowds with open fire.〔〔Lee Hyun-hee (2005, pp 591–592)〕〔 (4.19 Revolution ) at Doosan Encyclopedia〕 Subsequent protests throughout the country shook the government, and after an escalated protest with university professors taking to the streets on April 25, Rhee submitted his official resignation on April 26 and fled into exile.〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of South Korea」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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