Syngman Rhee - Wikipedia Syngman Rhee This article is about former president of South Korea. For the Presbyterian minister, see Syngman Rhee ( clergy ). The native form of this personal name is Rhee Syngman. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals. This is a Korean name ; the family name is Rhee. This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Korean. ( May 2017 ) Click for important translation instructions. View a machine - translated version of the Korean article. Google 's machine translation is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy - pasting machine - translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low - quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign - language article. 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( November 2011 ) Syngman Rhee 이승만 1st President of South Korea In office July 24, 1948 -- April 26, 1960 Vice President Yi Si - yeong Kim Seong - su Ham Tae - young Chang Myon Yun Posun Preceded by Himself as the Chairman of the State Council of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea Succeeded by Yun Posun Speaker of the National Assembly In office May 31, 1948 -- July 24, 1948 Preceded by Office created Succeeded by Shin Ik - hee Chairman of the State Council of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea In office March 3, 1947 -- August 15, 1948 Deputy Kim Koo Preceded by Kim Koo Succeeded by Himself as the President of South Korea President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea In office September 11, 1919 -- March 23, 1925 Prime Minister Yi Donghwi Yi Dongnyeong Sin Gyu - sik No Baek - rin Park Eunsik Preceded by Office created Succeeded by Park Eunsik Personal details Rhee Syngman ( 1875 - 04 - 18 ) April 18, 1875 Neungnae - dong, Daegyeong - ri, Masan - myeon, Pyeongsan County, Hwanghae Province, Korea ( now North Hwanghae, North Korea ) July 19, 1965 ( 1965 - 07 - 19 ) ( aged 90 ) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. Resting place Seoul National Cemetery Nationality South Korean Political party Liberal Spouse ( s ) Seungseon Park ( 1890 -- 1910 ) Francesca Donner ( 1934 -- 1965 ) Children Rhee Bong - su or 이봉수 ( 1898 -- 1908 ) Rhee In - soo ( Yi In - su ) or 이인수 ( b. 1931, adoptive ) Alma mater George Washington University ( B.A. ) Harvard University ( M.A. ) Princeton University ( Ph. D. ) Signature Korean name Hangul 이 승 만 / 리 승 만 Hanja 李 承 晩 Revised Romanization I Seung ( - ) man / Ri Seung ( - ) man McCune -- Reischauer I Sŭngman / Ri Sŭngman Syngman Rhee ( Korean : 이승만, tr. I Seungman, pronounced ( i. sɯŋ. man ) ; April 18, 1875 -- July 19, 1965 ) was a South Korean politician, the first and the last Head of State of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, and President of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. His three - term presidency of South Korea ( August 1948 to April 1960 ) was strongly affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean Peninsula. He led South Korea through the Korean War. His presidency ended in resignation following popular protests against a disputed election. Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist authoritarian leader and is thought to have ordered tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings of suspected communists during the early stages of the Korean War. He died in exile in Honolulu, Hawaii. Contents 1 Early life and career 1.1 Early life ( 1875 -- 95 ) 1.2 Independence activities ( 1896 -- 1904 ) 1.3 Political activities in the U.S. ( 1904 -- 10, 1912 -- 45 ), China and Korea ( 1910 -- 12 ) 2 Presidency 2.1 Return to Korea and rise to power ( 1945 -- 48 ) 2.2 Political repression 2.3 Korean War 2.4 Re-election 2.5 Resignation and exile 3 Personal life 4 Death 5 Memorials 5.1 In popular culture 6 Works 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links Early Life and career Early Life ( 1875 -- 95 ) Syngman Rhee was born on April 18, 1875 ; his birthday is also stated as March 26 ( the lunar date ). Rhee was born in Hwanghae Province into a rural family of modest means as the third son out of three brothers and two sisters. His two older brothers both died in infancy. Rhee 's family traced its lineage back to King Taejong of Joseon. He is a 16th - generation descendant of Grand Prince Yangnyeong. In 1877, at the age of two, Rhee and his family moved to Seoul. In Seoul, he had traditional Confucianism education in various seodang in Nakdong ( 낙동 ; 駱 洞 ) and Dodong ( 도동 ; 桃 洞 ). He was portrayed as a potential candidate for gwageo, the Korean civil service examination. When Rhee was nine years old, he was rendered virtually blind through smallpox and was cured by Horace Newton Allen, an American medical missionary. In 1894, when reforms abolished the gwageo system, Rhee enrolled in the Pai Chai School ( 배재학 당 ; 培 材 學堂 ), an American Methodist school, in April. He studied English and sinhakmun ( 신학문 ; 新 學問 ; lit. new subjects ). Near the end of 1895, he joined a Hyeopseong Club ( 협성회 ; 協成 會 ) created by Seo Jae - pil, who returned from the United States. He worked as the head and the main writer of the newspapers Hyeopseong - hoe Hoebo ( 협성회 회보 ; 協成 會 會報 ; lit. Hyeopseong Club Newsletter ) and Maeil Shinmun ( 매일 신문 ; 每 日 新聞 ; lit. The Daily Newspaper ), the latter being the first daily newspaper in Korea. During this period, he earned money by teaching Americans Korean. He converted to Christianity in school. In 1895, he graduated from Pai Chai School. Independence activities ( 1896 -- 1904 ) Rhee was implicated in a plot to take revenge for the assassination of Empress Myeongseong ; however, a female American physician helped him avoid the charges. At this point, he converted to Christianity. Rhee acted as one of the forerunners of Korea 's grassroots movement through organizations such as the Hyeopseong Club and the Independence Club ( 독립 협회 ; 獨立 協會 ). He organized several protests against corruption and the influences of the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire. As a result, in November 1898, he attained the rank of Uigwan ( 의관 ; 議 官 ) in the Imperial Legislature, the Jungchuwon ( 중추원 ; 中樞 院 ). After entering civil service, he was implicated in a plot to remove King Gojong from power through the recruitment of Park Yeong - hyo. As a result, he was imprisoned in the Gyeongmucheong Prison ( 경무청 ; 警務 廳 ) in January 1899. Other sources place the year arrested as 1897 and 1898. Rhee attempted to escape on the 20th day of imprisonment but was caught and was sentenced to life imprisonment through the Pyeongniwon ( 평리원 ; 平 理 院 ). He was imprisoned in the Hanseong Prison ( 한성 감옥서 ; 漢城 監獄 署 ). In prison, Rhee translated and compiled The Sino -- Japanese War Record ( 청일 전기 ; 淸 日 戰 紀 ), wrote The Spirit of Independence ( 독립 정신 ; 獨立 精神 ), compiled the New English -- Korean Dictionary ( 신영한 사전 ; 新 英 韓 辭典 ) and wrote in the Imperial Newspaper ( 제국 신문 ; 帝國 新聞 ). He was also tortured. Political activities in the U.S. ( 1904 -- 10, 1912 -- 45 ), China and Korea ( 1910 -- 12 ) Syngman Rhee in 1905 dressed to meet Theodore Roosevelt. In 1904, Rhee was released from prison at the outbreak of the Russo - Japanese War with the help of Min Young - hwan. In November 1904, with the help of Min Yeong - hwan and Han Gyu - seol ( 한규설 ; 韓圭卨 ), Rhee moved to the United States. In August 1905, Rhee and Yun Byeong - gu ( 윤병구 ; 尹炳求 ) met with the Secretary of State John Hay and U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt at peace talks in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and attempted unsuccessfully to convince the US to help preserve independence for Korea. Rhee continued to stay in the United States ; this move has been described as an `` exile. '' He obtained a Bachelor of Arts from George Washington University in 1907, and a Master of Arts from Harvard University in 1908. In 1910, he obtained a Ph. D. from Princeton University with the thesis `` Neutrality as influenced by the United States '' ( 미국 의 영향 하에 발달 된 국제 법상 중립 ). In August 1910, he returned to Japanese occupied Korea. He served as a YMCA coordinator and missionary. In 1912, he was implicated in the 105 - Man Incident, and was shortly arrested. However, he fled to the United States in 1912 with M.C. Harris 's rationale that Rhee was going to participate in the general meeting of Methodists in Minneapolis as the Korean representative. In the United States, Rhee attempted to convince Woodrow Wilson to help the people involved in the 105 - Man Incident, but failed to bring any change. Soon afterwards, he met Park Yong - man, who was in Nebraska at the time. In February 1913, as a consequence of the meeting, he moved to Honolulu and took over the Han - in Jung - ang Academy ( 한인 중앙 학원 ; 韓 人 中央 學 園 ). In Hawaii, he began to publish the Pacific Ocean Magazine ( 태평양 잡지 ; 太平洋 雜誌 ). In 1918, he established the Han - in Christian Church ( 한인 기독교 회 ; 韓 人 基督 敎 會 ). During this period, he opposed Park Yong - man 's stance on foreign relations of Korea and brought about a split in the community. In December 1918, he was chosen as one of the Korean representatives to the Paris Peace Conference, 1919 by the Korean National Association ( 대한 인 국민회 ; 大韓 人 國民 會 ), but failed to obtain permission to travel to Paris. After giving up traveling to Paris, Rhee held the First Korean Congress ( 한인 대표자 대회 ) in Philadelphia with Seo Jae - pil to make plans for the declaration and action of independence of Korea. Syngman Rhee and Kim Kyu - sik in 1919. Following the March 1st Movement in 1919, Rhee discovered that he was appointed to the positions of Foreign Minister in the Noryeong Provisional Government ( 노령 임시 정부 ; 露 領 臨時 政府 ), Prime Minister for the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai, and a position equivalent to President for the Hansung Provisional Government ( 한성 임시 정부 ; 漢城 臨時 政府 ). In June, in the acting capacity of the President of the Republic of Korea, he notified the prime ministers and the chairmen of peace conferences of Korea 's independence. On August 25, Rhee established the Korean Commission to America and Europe ( 구미 위원 부 ; 歐美 委員 部 ) in Washington, D.C. On September 6, Rhee discovered that he had been appointed acting president for the Provisional Government in Shanghai. From December 1920 to May 1921, he moved to Shanghai and was the acting president for the Provisional Government. However, Rhee failed to efficiently act in the capacity of Acting President due to conflicts inside the provisional government in Shanghai. In October 1920, he returned to the US to participate in the Washington Naval Conference. During the conference, he attempted to set the problem of Korean independence as part of the agenda and campaigned for independence, but was unsuccessful. In September 1922, he returned to Hawaii to focus on publication, education, and religion. In November 1924, Rhee was appointed the position of President - for - Life in the Korean Comrade Society ( 대한 인 동지회 ; 大韓 人 同志 會 ). In March 1925, Rhee was impeached as the president of the Provisional Government in Shanghai over allegations of misuse of power and was removed from office. Nevertheless, he continued to claim the position of President by referring to the Hansung Provisional Government and continued independence activities through the Korean Commission to America and Europe. In the beginning of 1933, he participated in the League of Nations conference in Geneva to bring up the question of Korean independence. In November 1939, Rhee and his wife left Hawaii for Washington. He focused on writing the book Japan Inside Out and published it during the summer of 1941. With the attack on Pearl Harbor and the consequent Pacific War which began in December 1941, Rhee used his position as the chairman of the foreign relations department of the provisional government in Chongqing to convince President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the United States Department of State to approve the existence of the Korean provisional government. As part of this plan, he cooperated with anti-Japan strategies conducted by the Office of Strategic Services. In 1945, he participated in the United Nations Conference on International Organization as the leader of the Korean representatives to request the participation of the Korean provisional government. Presidency Syngman Rhee and Douglas MacArthur at the Ceremony inaugurating the government of the Republic of Korea. Ceremony inaugurating the government of the Republic of Korea ( August 15, 1948 ). Return to Korea and rise to power ( 1945 -- 48 ) Main article : First Republic of South Korea After the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945, Rhee was flown to Tokyo aboard a U.S. military aircraft. Over the objections of the State Department, the American military government allowed Rhee to return to Korea by providing him with a passport in October 1945, despite the refusal of the State Department to issue Rhee with a passport. The British historian Max Hastings wrote that there was `` at least a measure of corruption in the transaction '' as the American OSS agent Preston Goodfellow who provided Rhee with the passport that allowed him to return to Korea was apparently promised by Rhee that if he came to power, he would reward Goodfellow with commercial concessions. '' Following the independence of Korea and a secret meeting with Douglas MacArthur, Rhee was flown in mid-October 1945 to Seoul aboard MacArthur 's personal airplane, The Bataan. After the return to Korea, he assumed the posts of president of the Independence Promotion Central Committee ( 독립 촉성 중앙 위원회 ; 獨立 促成 中央 協議 會 ), chairman of the Korean People 's Representative Democratic Legislature ( 대한 국민 대표 민주 의원 ; 大韓 國民 代表 民主 議院 ), and president of the Headquarters for Unification ( 민족 통일 총본부 ; 民族 統一 總 本部 ). At this point, he was strongly anti-communist and opposed foreign intervention ; he opposed Soviet Union and United States ' proposal in the Moscow Conference ( 1945 ) to establish a trusteeship for Korea and the cooperation between the left - wing ( communist ) and the right - wing ( nationalist ) parties. He also refused to join the U.S. -- Soviet Cooperation Committee ( 미소 공동 위원회 ; 美 蘇 共同 委員會 ) as well as the negotiations with the north. The Korean nationalist movement had for decades been torn by factionalism and in - fighting, and most of the leaders of the independence movement hated each other as much as they hated the Japanese. Rhee, who had lived for decades in the United States, was a figure known only from afar in Korea, and therefore regarded as a more or less acceptable compromise candidate for the conservative factions. More importantly, Rhee spoke fluent English whereas none of his rivals did, and therefore he was the Korean politician most trusted and favored by the American occupation government. The British diplomat Roger Makins later recalled, `` the American propensity to go for a man rather than a movement -- Giraud among the French in 1942, Chiang Kai - shek in China. Americans have always liked the idea of dealing with a foreign leader who can be identified as ' their man '. They are much less comfortable with movements. '' Makins further added the same was the case with Rhee, as very few Americans were fluent in Korean in the 1940s or knew much about Korea, and it was simply far easier for the American occupation government to deal with Rhee than to try to understand Korea. Rhee was `` acerbic, prickly, unpromising '' and was regarded by the U.S. State Department, which long had dealings with him as `` a dangerous mischief - maker '', but the American General John R. Hodge decided that Rhee was the best man for the Americans to back because of his fluent English and his ability to talk with authority to American officers about American subjects. Once it become clear from October 1945 onward that Rhee was the Korean politician most favored by the Americans, other conservative leaders fell in behind him. Hastings wrote, `` In an Asian society, where politics are often dominated by an instinctive desire to fall in behind the strongest force, Rhee 's backing from the military government was the decisive factor in his rise to power. '' When the first U.S. -- Soviet Cooperation Committee meeting was concluded without a result, he began to argue in June 1946 that the government of Korea must be established as an independent entity. In the same month, he created a plan based on this idea and moved to Washington, D.C. from December 1946 to April 1947 to lobby support for the plan. During the visit, Harry S. Truman 's policies of Containment and the Truman Doctrine, which was announced in March 1947, enforced Rhee 's anti-communist ideas. In November 1947, the United Nations General Assembly recognized Korea 's independence and established the United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea ( UNTCOK ) through Resolution 112. In May 1948, the South Korean Constitutional Assembly election was held under the oversight of the UNTCOK. He was elected without competition to serve in the South Korean Constitutional Assembly ( 대한민국 제헌 국회 ; 大韓民國 制 憲 國會 ) and was consequently selected to be Speaker of the Assembly. Rhee was highly influential in creating the policy stating that the president of South Korea had to be elected by the National Assembly. The 1948 Constitution of the Republic of Korea was adopted on July 17, 1948. On July 20, 1948, Rhee was elected president of the Republic of Korea in the South Korean presidential election, 1948 with 92.3 % of the vote ; the second candidate, Kim Gu, received 6.7 % of the vote. On August 15, the Republic of Korea was formally established in South Korea and Rhee was inaugurated as the first President of the Republic of Korea. The next month, on September 9, the north also proclaimed statehood as the Democratic People 's Republic of Korea. Rhee himself had been an independence activist, and his relations with the chinilpa Korean elites who had collaborated with the Japanese were, in the words of the South Korean historian Kyung Moon Hwang, often `` contentious, '' but in the end an understanding was reached in which, in exchange for their support, Rhee would not purge the elites. In particular, the Koreans who had served in the colonial - era National Police, whom the Americans had retained after August 1945, were promised by Rhee that their jobs would not be threatened by him. Upon independence in 1948, 53 % of South Korean police officers were men who had served in the National Police during the Japanese occupation. Political repression Soon after taking office, Rhee enacted laws that severely curtailed political dissent. There was much controversy between Rhee and his leftist opponents. Allegedly, many of the leftist opponents were arrested and in some cases killed. The most controversial issue has been Kim Gu 's assassination. On 26 June 1949, Kim Gu was assassinated by Ahn Doo - hee, who confessed that he assassinated Kim Gu by the order of Kim Chang - ryong. The assassin was described by the British historian Max Hastings as one of Rhee 's `` creatures ''. It soon became apparent that Rhee 's governing was going to be authoritarian. He allowed the internal security force ( headed by his right - hand man, Kim Chang - ryong ) to detain and torture suspected communists and North Korean agents. His government also oversaw several massacres, including the suppression of the Jeju Uprising on Jeju island, of which South Korea 's Truth Commission reported 14,373 victims, 86 % at the hands of the security forces and 13.9 % at the hands of communist rebels, and the Mungyeong massacre. By early 1950 Rhee had about 30,000 alleged communists in his jails, and had about 300,000 suspected sympathisers enrolled in an official `` re-education '' movement called the Bodo League. When the Communist army attacked from the North in June, retreating South Korean forces executed the prisoners, along with several tens of thousands of Bodo League members. Korean War Main article : Korean War Syngman Rhee awarding a medal to U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Ralph A. Ofstie during the Korean War in 1952. Both Rhee and Kim Il - sung wanted to unite the Korean peninsula under their respective governments, but the United States refused to give South Korea any heavy weapons, in order to ensure that its military could only be used for preserving internal order and self - defense. By contrast, Pyongyang was well equipped with Soviet aircraft and tanks. According to John Merrill, `` the war was preceded by a major insurgency in the South and serious clashes along the thirty - eighth parallel, '' and 100,000 people died in `` political disturbances, guerrilla warfare, and border clashes ''. At the outbreak of hostilities on June 25, 1950, all South Korean resistance at the 38th parallel was overwhelmed by the North Korean offensive within a few hours. By June 26, it was apparent that the Korean People 's Army ( KPA ) would occupy Seoul. Rhee stated, `` Every Cabinet member, including myself, will protect the government, and parliament has decided to remain in Seoul. Citizens should not worry and remain in their workplaces. '' However, Rhee had already left the city with most of his government on June 27. At midnight on June 28, the South Korean military destroyed the Han Bridge, thereby preventing thousands of citizens from fleeing. On June 28, North Korean soldiers occupied Seoul. Rhee and his wife posing with Army Corps of Engineers personnel in 1950 at the Han River Bridge. During the North Korean occupation of Seoul, Rhee established a temporary government in Busan and created a defensive perimeter along the Naktong Bulge. A series of battles ensued, which would later be known collectively as the Battle of Naktong Bulge. After the Battle of Inchon in September 1950, the North Korean military was routed, and the United Nations ( UN ) -- of whom the largest contingents were the Americans and South Koreans -- not only liberated all of South Korea, but overran much of North Korea. In the areas of North Korea taken by the UN forces, elections were supposed to be administered by the United Nations, but instead were taken over and administered by the South Koreans. After the Chinese entered the war in November 1950, the UN forces were thrown into retreat. During this period of crisis, Rhee ordered the December Massacres of 1950. Hastings notes that, during the war, Rhee 's official salary was equal to $37.50 ( U.S. dollars ) per month. Both at the time and since, there has been much speculation about precisely how Rhee managed to live on a salary equivalent to $37.50 per month. The entire Rhee regime was notorious for its corruption, with everyone in the government from the President downwards stealing as much they possibly could from both the public purse and aid from the United States. The Rhee regime engaged in the `` worst excesses of corruption, '' with the soldiers in the Army of the Republic of Korea ( ROK ) going unpaid for months as their officers embezzled their pay, equipment provided by the United States being sold on the black market, and the size of the ROK army being bloated by hundreds of thousands of `` ghost soldiers '' who only existed on paper, allowing their officers to steal pay that would have been due had these soldiers actually existed. The problems with low morale experienced by the ROK army were largely due to the corruption of the Rhee regime. The worst scandal during the war -- indeed of the entire Rhee government -- was the National Defense Corps Incident. Rhee created the National Defense Corps in December 1950, intended to be a paramilitary militia, comprising men not in the military or police who be drafted into the corps for internal security duties. In the months that followed, thousands of National Defense Corps men either starved or froze to death in their unheated barracks, as the men lacked winter uniforms. Even Rhee could not ignore the deaths of so many of the National Defense Corps and ordered an investigation. It was revealed that commander of the National Defense Corps, General Kim Yun Gun, had stolen millions of American dollars that were intended to heat the barracks and feed and clothe the men. General Kim and five other officers were publicly shot at Daegu on August 12, 1951, following their convictions for corruption. In the spring of 1951, Rhee -- who was upset about MacArthur 's dismissal by President Truman -- lashed out in a press interview against Britain, whom he blamed for MacArthur 's sacking. Rhee was absolutely committed to reunifying Korea under his leadership and strongly supported MacArthur 's call for going all - out against China, even at the risk of provoking a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Rhee declared, `` The British troops have outlived their welcome in my country. '' Shortly thereafter, Rhee told an Australian diplomat about the Australian troops fighting for his country, `` They are not wanted here any longer. Tell that to your government. The Australian, Canadian, New Zealand and British troops all represent a government which is now sabotaging the brave American effort to liberate fully and unify my unhappy nation. '' Rhee was strongly against the armistice negotiations the U.S. entered into in 1953. Accordingly, in April of the same year, he demanded of President Eisenhower a total withdrawal of his troops from the peninsula if an armistice were to be signed, declaring that the ROK would rather fight on its own than negotiate a cease - fire. He also deliberately carried out some actions that would deter the armistice and reignite conflicts in the region, the most provocative one being his unilateral release of 25,000 prisoners of war in June 1953. Such actions, which hindered the progress of armistice talks, upset China and the North. Moreover, for such unpredictability in his authoritarian leadership, the Truman and Eisenhower administrations considered him one of the `` rogue allies '' in East Asia and engaged in `` powerplay '', or the construction of asymmetric alliances, which helped the U.S. maximize economic and political influence over the ROK and increase ROK 's dependency on the United States. On July 27, 1953, at last, `` one of the 20th century 's most vicious and frustrating wars '' came to an end with no apparent victor. Ultimately, the armistice agreement was signed by military commanders from China and the North, with the United Nations Command, led by the U.S., signing `` on the behalf of the international community. '' Its signatories did not include the ROK, however, as Rhee refused to agree to the armistice, and neither was it supposed to be a permanent cease - fire, as a peace treaty was never signed. Nevertheless, to this very day, the armistice remains the only means for security and peace on the Korean peninsula. Re-election Because of widespread discontent with Rhee 's corruption and political repression, it was considered unlikely that Rhee would be re-elected by the National Assembly. To circumvent this, Rhee attempted to amend the constitution to allow him to hold elections for the presidency by direct popular vote. When the Assembly rejected this amendment, Rhee ordered a mass arrest of opposition politicians and then passed the desired amendment in July 1952. During the following presidential election, he received 74 % of the vote. Resignation and exile This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( August 2012 ) After the war ended in July 1953, South Korea struggled to rebuild following nationwide devastation. The country remained at a Third - World level of development and was heavily reliant on U.S. aid. Rhee was easily re-elected for what should have been the final time in 1956 since the 1948 constitution limited the president to two consecutive terms. However, soon after being sworn in, he had the legislature amend the constitution to allow the incumbent president -- himself -- to run for an unlimited number of terms. In 1960, the 84 - year - old Rhee won his fourth term in office as President with 90 % of the vote. His victory was assured after the main opposition candidate, Cho Byeong - ok, died shortly before the March 15 elections. Rhee wanted his protégé, Lee Ki - poong, elected as Vice President -- a separate office under Korean law at that time. When Lee, who was running against Chang Myon ( the ambassador to the United States during the Korean War, a member from the opposition Democratic Party ) won the vote with a wide margin, the opposition Democratic Party claimed the election was rigged. This triggered anger among segments of the Korean populace on April 19. When police shot demonstrators in Masan, the student - led April Revolution forced Rhee to resign on April 26. On April 28, a DC - 4 belonging to the United States Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ), piloted by Captain Harry B. Cockrell, Jr. and operated by Civil Air Transport, covertly flew Rhee out of South Korea as protesters converged on the Blue House. During the journey, Rhee and Franziska Donner, his Austrian wife, came up to the cockpit to thank the pilot and crew. Rhee 's wife offered the pilot a substantial diamond ring in thanks, which was courteously declined. The former president, his wife, and their adopted son subsequently lived in exile in Honolulu, Hawaii. Personal Life This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. ( August 2015 ) In February 1933, Rhee met Austrian Franziska Donner in Geneva. At the time, Rhee was participating in a League of Nations meeting and Donner was working as an interpreter. In October 1934, they were married in New York City. She also acted as his secretary. Death Rhee on a 1959 issued 100 hwan coin. Rhee died of a stroke on July 19, 1965. A week later, his body was returned to Seoul and buried in the Seoul National Cemetery. Memorials hide This section has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. ( Learn how and when to remove these template messages ) This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. ( August 2015 ) This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( August 2012 ) Rhee 's former Seoul residence, Ihwajang, is currently used for the presidential memorial museum. The Woo - Nam Presidential Preservation Foundation has been set up to honor his legacy. There is also a memorial museum located in Hwajinpo near Kim Il Sung 's cottage. In popular culture Rhee was portrayed by Kwon Sung - deok in the 2006 KBS1 TV series Seoul 1945. In the M * A * S * H ( TV series ) episode titled `` Mail Call Again '', Radar mentions a parade in Seoul due to Syngman Rhee being `` elected dictator again. '' Works Neutrality as influenced by the United States See also Korea portal Biography portal Politics portal List of Korea - related topics President of South Korea Francesca Donner Inha University Korean independence movement Notes Jump up ^ In 1910, the Korean Peninsula was officially annexed by the Empire of Japan. Jump up ^ He did participate in the meeting as the Korean representative. References Jump up ^ `` KOREA : The Walnut ''. TIME. March 9, 1953. Retrieved 2010 - 03 - 20. In 1932, while attempting to put Korea 's case before an indifferent League of Nations in Geneva, Rhee met Francesca Maria Barbara Donner, 34, the daughter of a family of Viennese iron merchants. Two years later they were married in a Methodist ceremony in New York. ^ Jump up to : 이승만 ( 李 承晩 ) ( Rhee Syngman ). Doopedia ( in Korean ). Doosan Corporation. Retrieved March 12, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Syngman Rhee ''. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved March 13, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Syngman Rhee : First president of South Korea ''. CNN Student News. CNN. Retrieved March 13, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Syngman Rhee ''. The Cold War Files. Cold War International History Project. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Cha, Marn J. ( September 19, 2012 ) ( 1996 ), `` SYNGMAN RHEE 'S FIRST LOVE '' ( PDF ), The Information Exchange for Korean - American Scholars ( IEKAS ) ( 12 - 19 ) : 2, ISSN 1092 - 6232, retrieved March 14, 2014 ^ Jump up to : 이승만 ( Rhee Syngman ). Encyclopedia of Korean culture ( in Korean ). Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved March 13, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Breen, Michael ( April 18, 2010 ). `` Fall of Korea 's First President Syngman Rhee in 1960 ''. The Korea Times. KoreaTimes.co.kr. Retrieved March 14, 2014. Jump up ^ Yu Yeong - ik ( 유영익 ) ( 1996 ). 이승만 의 삶 과 꿈 ( Rhee Syngman 's Life and Dream ) ( in Korean ). Seoul : Joong Ang Ilbo Press. pp. 40 -- 44. ISBN 89 - 461 - 0345 - 0. Jump up ^ Coppa, Frank J., ed. ( 2006 ). `` Rhee, Syngman ''. Encyclopedia of modern dictators : from Napoleon to the present. Peter Lang. p. 256. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8204 - 5010 - 0. Jump up ^ Jessup, John E. ( 1998 ). `` Rhee, Syngman ''. An encyclopedic dictionary of conflict and conflict resolution, 1945 -- 1996. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 626. ISBN 978 - 0 - 313 - 28112 - 9. ^ Jump up to : Breen, Michael ( November 2, 2011 ). `` ( 13 ) Syngman Rhee : president who could have done more ''. The Korea Times. KoreaTimes.co.kr. Retrieved April 7, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Japan surrenders ''. History. A + E Networks. Retrieved April 7, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Cumings, Bruce ( 2010 ). `` 38 degrees of separation : a forgotten occupation ''. The Korean War : a History. Modern Library. p. 106. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8129 - 7896 - 4. ^ Jump up to : Hastings, Max ( 1988 ). The Korean War. Simon and Schuster. pp. 32 -- 34. ISBN 9780671668341. Jump up ^ United Nations General Assembly Resolution 112. Wikisource. Jump up ^ `` Details / Information for Canadian Forces ( CF ) Operation United Nations Commission on Korea ''. Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. November 28, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` South Korea ( 1948 - present ) ''. Dynamic Analysis of Dispute Management Project. University of Central Arkansas. Retrieved April 8, 2014. Jump up ^ Croissant, Aurel ( 2002 ), `` Electoral Politics in South Korea '' ( PDF ), Electoral politics in Southeast & East Asia, 370, VI, Singapore : Friedrich - Ebert - Stiftung, pp. 234 -- 237, ISBN 978 - 981 - 04 - 6020 - 4, retrieved April 8, 2014 Jump up ^ Kyung Moon Hwang A History of Korea Palgrave Macmillan, 2010 page 204. Jump up ^ Hastings ( 1988 ), p. 38 Jump up ^ Hastings ( 1988 ), p. 42 Jump up ^ Tirman, John ( 2011 ). The Deaths of Others : The Fate of Civilians in America 's Wars. Oxford University Press. pp. 93 -- 95. ISBN 978 - 0 - 19 - 538121 - 4. Jump up ^ `` The National Committee for Investigation of the Truth about the Jeju April 3 Incident ''. 2008. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008. Jump up ^ `` South Korea owns up to brutal past - World - smh.com.au ''. www.smh.com.au. Jump up ^ Merrill, John, Korea : The Peninsular Origins of the War ( University of Delaware Press, 1989 ), p181. Jump up ^ `` Ten biggest lies in modern Korean history ''. The Korea Times. April 3, 2017. Jump up ^ Hastings ( 1988 ), p. 235 - 240 ^ Jump up to : Hastings ( 1988 ), p. 235 Jump up ^ Cha ( 2010 ), p. 174 Jump up ^ Cha, Victor D ( Winter 2010 ). `` Powerplay : Origins of the U.S. Alliance System in Asia ''. International Security. MIT Press Journals. 34 ( 3 ) : 158 -- 196. doi : 10.1162 / isec. 2010.34. 3.158. Jump up ^ James E. Dillard. `` Biographies : Syngman Rhee ''. The Department of Defense 60th Anniversary of Korean War Commemoration Committee. Retrieved on September 28, 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` The Korean War armistice ''. BBC News. March 5, 2015. Retrieved on September 28, 2016. Jump up ^ Buzo, Adrian ( 2007 ). The making of modern Korea. Taylor & Francis. p. 79. ISBN 978 - 0 - 415 - 41482 - 1. Jump up ^ Cyrus Farivar ( 2011 ), The Internet of Elsewhere : The Emergent Effects of a Wired World, Rutgers University Press, p. 26. ^ Jump up to : 프란체스카 ( Francesca ). Encyclopedia of Korean culture ( in Korean ). Academy of Korean studies. Retrieved April 7, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Syngman Rhee ''. South Korean President. Find a Grave. February 20, 2004. Retrieved Aug 19, 2011. Further reading Appleman, Roy E. ( 1998 ), South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu : United States Army in the Korean War, Washington, D.C. : Department of the Army, ISBN 978 - 0 - 16 - 001918 - 0 Lew, Yong Ick. The Making of the First Korean President : Syngman Rhee 's Quest for Independence ( University of Hawai'i Press ; 2013 ) ; scholarly biography ; 576 pages ; Shin, Jong Dae, Christian F. Ostermann, and James F. Person ( 2013 ), North Korean Perspectives on the Overthrow of Syngman Rhee, Washington, D.C. : North Korea International Documentation Project External links Media related to Syngman Rhee at Wikimedia Commons Syngman Rhee 's FBI files hosted at the Internet Archive Political offices First Establishment of the Republic President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea 11 September 1919 -- 21 March 1925 Succeeded by Park Eunsik Preceded by Kim Kyu - sik Chairmen of the Interim Legislative Assembly 1948 Succeeded by Himself as Speaker of the Constituent Assembly Preceded by Himself as Chairmen of the Interim Legislative Assembly Speaker of the National Constituent Assembly 1948 Succeeded by Shin Ik - hee Preceded by Kim Gu President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea 1947 -- 1948 Succeeded by Syngman Rhee ( President of South Korea ) Preceded by Syngman Rhee as President of the Provisional Government 1 ~ 3rd President of South Korea July 24, 1948 -- April 26, 1960 Succeeded by Heo Jeong ( Acting ) Leaders of Korea Italics indicate an acting leader Korean government - in - exile ( 1919 -- 1948 ) Syngman Rhee Yi Dong - nyeong Park Eun - sik Park Eun - sik Yi Yu - pil Yi Sang - ryong Yang Gi - tak Yi Dong - nyeong Ahn Changho Yi Dong - nyeong Hong Jin Kim Koo Yi Dong - nyeong Song Byeong - jo Yi Dong - nyeong Kim Koo Syngman Rhee Divided Korea ( since 1945 ) Democratic People 's Republic of Korea Supreme Leaders Kim Il - sung Kim Jong - il Kim Jong - un Heads of state Kim Tu - bong Choe Yong - gon Kim Il - sung Yang Hyong - sop Kim Yong - nam Heads of government Kim Il - sung Kim Il Pak Song - chol Ri Jong - ok Kang Song - san Ri Kun - mo Yon Hyong - muk Kang Song - san Hong Song - nam Hong Song - nam Pak Pong - ju Kim Yong - il Choe Yong - rim Pak Pong - ju Republic of Korea Heads of state and government Syngman Rhee Heo Jeong Kwak Sang - hoon Baek Nak - jun Yun Posun Park Chung - hee Park Chung - hee Choi Kyu - hah Choi Kyu - hah Pak Choong - hoon Chun Doo - hwan Roh Tae - woo Kim Young - sam Kim Dae - jung Roh Moo - hyun Goh Kun Roh Moo - hyun Lee Myung - bak Park Geun - hye Hwang Kyo - ahn Moon Jae - in Presidents of South Korea ( List ) First Republic ( 1948 -- 1960 ) Syngman Rhee Heo Jeong Second Republic ( 1960 -- 1961 ) Gwak Sang - hun Heo Jeong Paek Nak - jun Yun Posun Military Junta ( 1961 -- 1963 ) Park Chung - hee Third Republic ( 1963 -- 1972 ) Park Chung - hee Fourth Republic ( 1972 -- 1981 ) Park Chung - hee Choi Kyu - hah Chun Doo - hwan Fifth Republic ( 1981 -- 1987 ) Chun Doo - hwan Sixth Republic ( 1981 -- Present ) Roh Tae - woo Kim Young - sam Kim Dae - jung Roh Moo - hyun † Goh Kun Lee Myung - bak Park Geun - hye ‡ Hwang Kyo - ahn Moon Jae - in Notes Italics indicate an acting president † Impeached, but restored to office ‡ Impeached and removed from office Cold War USA USSR ANZUS NATO Non-Aligned Movement SEATO Warsaw Pact Cold War II 1940s Morgenthau Plan Hukbalahap Rebellion Dekemvriana Percentages agreement Yalta Conference Guerrilla war in the Baltic states Forest Brothers Operation Priboi Operation Jungle Occupation of the Baltic states Cursed soldiers Operation Unthinkable Operation Downfall Potsdam Conference Gouzenko Affair Division of Korea Operation Masterdom Operation Beleaguer Operation Blacklist Forty Iran crisis of 1946 Greek Civil War Baruch Plan Corfu Channel incident Turkish Straits crisis Restatement of Policy on Germany First Indochina War Truman Doctrine Asian Relations Conference May 1947 Crises Marshall Plan Comecon 1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état Tito -- Stalin Split Berlin Blockade Western betrayal Iron Curtain Eastern Bloc Western Bloc Chinese Civil War ( Second round ) Malayan Emergency Albanian Subversion 1950s Papua conflict Bamboo Curtain Korean War McCarthyism Algerian War Egyptian Revolution of 1952 1953 Iranian coup d'état Uprising of 1953 in East Germany Dirty War ( Mexico ) Bricker Amendment 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état Partition of Vietnam Vietnam War First Taiwan Strait Crisis Geneva Summit ( 1955 ) Bandung Conference Poznań 1956 protests Hungarian Revolution of 1956 Suez Crisis `` We will bury you '' Operation Gladio Arab Cold War Syrian Crisis of 1957 1958 Lebanon crisis Iraqi 14 July Revolution Sputnik crisis Second Taiwan Strait Crisis 1959 Tibetan uprising Cuban Revolution Kitchen Debate Sino - Soviet split 1960s Congo Crisis Simba rebellion 1960 U-2 incident Bay of Pigs Invasion 1960 Turkish coup d'état Soviet -- Albanian split Berlin Crisis of 1961 Berlin Wall Portuguese Colonial War Angolan War of Independence Guinea - Bissau War of Independence Mozambican War of Independence Cuban Missile Crisis Sino - Indian War Communist insurgency in Sarawak Iraqi Ramadan Revolution Eritrean War of Independence Sand War North Yemen Civil War Aden Emergency 1963 Syrian coup d'état Vietnam War Shifta War Guatemalan Civil War Colombian conflict Nicaraguan Revolution 1964 Brazilian coup d'état Dominican Civil War South African Border War Transition to the New Order Domino theory ASEAN Declaration Laotian Civil War 1966 Syrian coup d'état Argentine Revolution Korean DMZ Conflict Greek military junta of 1967 -- 74 Years of Lead ( Italy ) USS Pueblo incident Six - Day War War of Attrition Dhofar Rebellion Al - Wadiah War Nigerian Civil War Protests of 1968 French May Tlatelolco massacre Cultural Revolution Prague Spring 1968 Polish political crisis Communist insurgency in Malaysia Invasion of Czechoslovakia Iraqi Ba'athist Revolution 1969 Libyan coup d'état Goulash Communism Sino - Soviet border conflict CPP -- NPA -- NDF rebellion Corrective Move 1970s Détente Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Black September in Jordan Corrective Movement ( Syria ) Cambodian Civil War Koza riot Realpolitik Ping - pong diplomacy Uganda -- Tanzania War 1971 Turkish military memorandum Corrective Revolution ( Egypt ) Four Power Agreement on Berlin Bangladesh Liberation War 1972 Nixon visit to China North Yemen - South Yemen Border conflict of 1972 Yemenite War of 1972 Communist insurgency in Bangladesh NDF Rebellion Eritrean Civil Wars 1973 Chilean coup d'état Yom Kippur War 1973 oil crisis Carnation Revolution Spanish transition Metapolitefsi Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Rhodesian Bush War Angolan Civil War Mozambican Civil War Oromo conflict Ogaden War Ethiopian Civil War Lebanese Civil War Sino - Albanian split Cambodian -- Vietnamese War Sino - Vietnamese War Operation Condor Dirty War ( Argentina ) 1976 Argentine coup d'état German Autumn Korean Air Lines Flight 902 Yemenite War of 1979 Grand Mosque seizure Iranian Revolution Saur Revolution New Jewel Movement 1979 Herat uprising Seven Days to the River Rhine Struggle against political abuse of psychiatry in the Soviet Union 1980s Soviet -- Afghan War 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics boycotts 1980 Turkish coup d'état Peruvian conflict Casamance conflict Ugandan Bush War Lord 's Resistance Army insurgency Eritrean Civil Wars 1982 Ethiopian -- Somali Border War Ndogboyosoi War United States invasion of Grenada Able Archer 83 Star Wars Iran -- Iraq War Somali Rebellion 1986 Black Sea incident 1988 Black Sea bumping incident South Yemen Civil War Bougainville Civil War 8888 Uprising Solidarity Soviet reaction Contras Central American crisis RYAN Korean Air Lines Flight 007 People Power Revolution Glasnost Perestroika Nagorno - Karabakh War Afghan Civil War United States invasion of Panama 1988 Polish strikes Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 Revolutions of 1989 Fall of the Berlin Wall Velvet Revolution Romanian Revolution Peaceful Revolution Die Wende 1990s Mongolian Revolution of 1990 German reunification Yemeni unification Fall of communism in Albania Breakup of Yugoslavia Dissolution of the Soviet Union Dissolution of Czechoslovakia Frozen conflicts Abkhazia China - Taiwan Korea Nagorno - Karabakh South Ossetia Transnistria Sino - Indian border dispute North Borneo dispute Foreign policy Truman Doctrine Containment Eisenhower Doctrine Domino theory Hallstein Doctrine Kennedy Doctrine Peaceful coexistence Ostpolitik Johnson Doctrine Brezhnev Doctrine Nixon Doctrine Ulbricht Doctrine Carter Doctrine Reagan Doctrine Rollback Sovereignty of Puerto Rico during the Cold War Ideologies Capitalism Chicago school Keynesianism Monetarism Neoclassical economics Reaganomics Supply - side economics Thatcherism Communism Marxism -- Leninism Castroism Eurocommunism Guevarism Hoxhaism Juche Maoism Trotskyism Naxalism Stalinism Titoism Other Fascism Islamism Liberal democracy Social democracy Third - Worldism White supremacy Apartheid Organizations ASEAN CIA Comecon EEC KGB MI6 Non-Aligned Movement SAARC Safari Club Stasi Propaganda Active measures Crusade for Freedom Izvestia Pravda Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty Red Scare TASS Voice of America Voice of Russia Races Arms race Nuclear arms race Space Race See also Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War Soviet espionage in the United States Soviet Union -- United States relations USSR -- USA summits Russian espionage in the United States American espionage in the Soviet Union and Russian Federation Russia -- NATO relations Brinkmanship CIA and the Cultural Cold War Cold War II Commons Portal Timeline List of conflicts BIBSYS : 3017593 BNF : cb119936243 ( data ) GND : 118788566 ISNI : 0000 0000 8124 6715 LCCN : n80079491 NARA : 10567850 NDL : 00626760 NLA : 35387817 SELIBR : 137933 SNAC : w6s182r1 SUDOC : 028015843 VIAF : 46770135 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Syngman_Rhee&oldid=853190637 '' Categories : Syngman Rhee 1875 births 1965 deaths People from Haeju Presidents of South Korea Prime Ministers of Korea Joseon Dynasty people Korean expatriates in the United States Korean independence activists Korean nationalists George Washington University alumni Harvard University alumni House of Yi Princeton University alumni South Korean anti-communists South Korean Methodists Korean revolutionaries Liberal Party ( South Korea ) politicians First Republic of South Korea Speakers of the National Assembly ( South Korea ) Yi clan of Jeonju Deaths from cerebrovascular disease World Peace Prize laureates Hidden categories : CS1 uses Korean - 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Question: who was the first president of south korea
Answer: Syngman Rhee