History of South Korea

The history of the Republic of Korea and the society and territory it governs, from the 1945 division of Korea through the present.

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Division of Korea: The postwar separation of the Korean Peninsula into rival political territories, consolidated into two states in 1948. The division created the separate southern state whose history this page covers.
Syngman Rhee: South Korea’s first president, who led the country from 1948 until his resignation in 1960. His increasingly authoritarian rule ended with the April Revolution.
Kim Dae-jung: South Korean opposition leader and president from 1998 to 2003, awarded the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize. His presidency brought the first peaceful transfer of power to an opposition party.
Miracle on the Han River: The rapid economic growth and industrialization of South Korea from the 1960s onward. Export-led growth transformed living standards and made South Korea a major industrial economy.
North Korea: A sovereign state occupying the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, formally the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Its rival state and political system have defined South Korea’s security environment since division.
Korean War: A 1950–1953 war between North and South Korea, involving United Nations and Chinese forces, that ended in an armistice. The war devastated the new republic and fixed its military confrontation with North Korea.
Park Chung Hee: South Korean military officer and president from 1963 until his assassination in 1979. His government combined political repression with state-led economic development.
Kim Young-sam: South Korean president from 1993 to 1998 and a longtime leader of the democratic opposition. His civilian presidency dismantled key parts of military political influence.
Chaebol: A large, diversified business conglomerate in South Korea, typically controlled by a founding family. State-backed conglomerates became central to industrialization and remain powerful in the economy.
History of North Korea: The historical development of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea from its establishment in 1948 to the present. The parallel history shows how the two states developed differently after partition.