History of South Korea

The Second World War had divided a unified Korea into two halves – North and South. The two Cold War rivals, erstwhile Soviet Union and United States, formed governments in the North and South respectively. North came to be ruled by the Soviets while the South was under the control of the US government. The 1943 Cairo Declaration had promised of the unification of North and South Korea but that never materialized. Since then anything and everything that happened below 38th parallel forms a part of the South Korean history.

Syngman Rhee became the first President of South Korea while Kim II-sung was installed as the North Korean President. All hell broke loose when on June 25, 1950 the North Koreans invaded South at the instigation of Stalin. As North Korea threatened to roll over the South with the backing of China and Soviet Union, the UN had no other option but to intervene. The war reached a stalemate and the 1953 Armistice resulted in the peninsula split along the demilitarized zone. Technically the North and South are still at war as the treaty was never signed by South Korea.

The highlight of the South Korean history was the student uprising of 1960. This led to the resignation of the President. What followed was a period of political unrest. General Park Chung-hee led a military coup and became the President in 1961. He was later assassinated in 1979. In 1980 General Chun Doo-hwan staged a military coup and became President. His rule saw the infamous Gwangju Massacre.

The best phase in South Korean history came in 1988 when Seoul was chosen as the venue for the Summer Olympics. In 1996 it became a member of the OCED. Now South Korea is one of the leading countries in Asia with a say on the political and economic matters of the region. No wonder, South Korea is a preferred destination among the TESOL teachers who wants to teach English abroad.