HISTORY OF SOUTH KOREA

The history of South Korea formally begins with its establishment on 17 August 1948,
although Syngman Rhee had officially declared independence two days prior.

Korea was administratively partitioned in 1945, at the end of World War II. As Korea was
under Japanese rule during World War II, Korea was officially a belligerent against the
Allied Powers. The unconditional surrender of Japan led to the division of Korea into two
occupation zones (similar to the four zones in Germany), with the United States
administering the southern half of the peninsula and the Soviet Union administering the area
north of the 38th parallel. This division was meant to be temporary (as was Germany) and
was first intended to return a unified Korea back to its people after the United States, United
Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Republic of China could arrange a single government.