Korean History after the Japanese Occupation and U.S. Presidents

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1910~1945: Korea under Japanese Rule

• Joseon dynasty was ruled under Japanese colony for 35 years.  The Japanese colonial period (1910 to 1945) was the period when Japan ruled and colonized the Korean people. During this period, Joseon people suffered various hardships and oppression. This article explains the life of Koreans during the Japanese colonial period.

• National oppression: As Joseon existed as a Japanese colony, it came under Japanese national oppression. Joseon people had to be forced into Japan's national language, educational system, legal system, etc., and the culture and language of Joseon people were gradually banned or suppressed according to Japan's national policy.

• Economic Exploitation: Japan used Korea as a source of resources. Joseon was mainly used for agriculture, beekeeping, and industrial production for Japan's economic interests. As a result, Joseon's resources were exported to Japan, and Koreans were subjected to low-wage labor and exploitation.

• Cultural oppression: Japanese imperialism denied Joseon's culture and language and forced Japanimation. Joseon's history and culture were ignored or distorted, and the use of Japanese was forced. It was difficult for Joseon people to maintain their own culture and language, and their identity was threatened by the nationalistic Japaneseization policy.

• Suppression of learning and education: Learning and education in Joseon were also under Japanese control. Chosun people were given limited educational opportunities, through which Japan's nationalistic values and ideology were instilled. As a result, the historical awareness and self-reliant thinking of the Joseon people were suppressed.

• Anti-Japanese movement and oppression: Joseon people carried out various anti-Japanese movements to resist Japanese oppression. However, the Japanese imperialism strongly suppressed the anti-Japanese movement, and Koreans suffered many oppressions such as beatings, arrests, and massacres. The anti-Japanese movement was an important historical event that showed the will of the Joseon people to resist. As such, during the Japanese colonial era, Koreans suffered from political, economic, and cultural oppression. However, the Joseon people fought hard and tried to escape from Japanese rule by carrying out independence and independence movements. Afterwards, Joseon regained independence with the defeat of Japan in 1945 and went through a process leading to the present Republic of Korea.

 

South Korea from the 1970s to the early 1980s

• The following shows the story of South Korea from 1970 to 1980, which was not experienced by descendants living abroad. At the time, middle school and high school students wore a black Japanese school uniform, and their hair was cut very short like a soldier's. The middle and high school he attended was a male middle school. The number of students in the class was 60. In high school, there was a class called drill. Drilling in South Korea is a military-related education and training subject conducted for general students enrolled in educational institutions above high school, not those who have completed military education such as cadets, school district candidates, and military departments. Compulsory education in South Korea at that time was up to elementary school. There was a law that no one could walk on the streets from 12:00 pm to 5:00 am, and there was an underpass evacuation drill in preparation for a North Korean invasion. Long hair was banned in the city, and short skirts were banned, so the police put violators in jail. The bus fare was 25 won, and the taxi fare was 500 won. There was a female bus attendant on the bus who took the bus fare. The air in Seoul in the 1970s was very polluted. In 1975, Vietnam was unified, and in 1977, Korea exported 10 billion dollars. In 1970, the Philippines, South American countries, and North Korea were better off than South Korea. Korean men were banned from overseas travel unless they had served in the military. People who were educated during the days of President Park, Chunghee are thoroughly educated in anti-communist education. In movie theaters, the national anthem and Daehan News are shown before the movie starts. The audience stood up when the national anthem was played, and Daehan News was a kind of anti-communist education at the time. Even in Korea, before classes begin, they reiterate the oath to the national flag. The students bowed to the teacher before class began. It is a remnant of Japanese education. In South Korea, when addressing a married woman, her name is not called out. A married woman, she called someone's mom. A briquette boiler was used to heat the house. The floor of the room was warm because the heating was done through the furnace, but only the part directly heated was very warm. At that time, there was no electronic rice cooker that kept rice warm. So, people put rice in a bowl, covered it with a blanket, and placed it on the warm floor of the room to keep the rice warm. When listening to music, a record player was used, the main public transportation was the bus, and the Seoul subway had Lines 1 and 2. In South Korea, Color TV has been used since 1980, and computer classes in universities have been using large cabinet-sized computers that are taller than people, and personal computers 16 bit have been used since 1985. At that time, the PC price was 2.5 million won, and the average monthly salary at the workplace at the time was less than 1 million won.

 

1946~Current: Democratic People's Republic of Korea or North Korea

• February 1948, The Korean People's Army was established. August 1948, Elections of deputies to the Supreme People's Assembly were held. September 9, 1948, The Supreme People's Assembly adopted the constitution and established the 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea' north of the 38th parallel with Marxism-Leninism as its ideology. The order of the North Korean Paramount leader was Ilsung Kim(1948~1994), Jongil Kim(1944~2011), and Jongun Kim(2011~Present).

 

1912~Current: Republic of China (중화민국中華民國Taiwan)

• From 1912 to 1949, mainland China was ruled by the Republic of China. Therefore, when referring to China until 1949, it refers to the Republic of China, not the People's Republic of China, which currently governs the Chinese mainland. After defeat in the Chinese Civil War, the Republic of China moved its government to Taiwan. The presidents of the Republic of China are Kaishek Chiang(1948-1949), Zongren Lee(1949-1950), Kaishek Chiang(1950-1975), Jagan Yan(1975-1978), Jingguo Zhang(1978-1988), Denghui Lee(1988-2000), Shuibian Chen(2000-2004), Yingju Ma(2008-2016), and Yingwen Tsai(2016~) are in order.

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1919~Current: Peoples’ Republic of China (중화인민공화국中华人民共和國)

• The People's Republic of China was a socialist state founded on October 1, 1949, led by the Communist Party of China, which won the Chinese Civil War. The leaders of the Communist Party of China were Zedong Mao(1949-1959), Shaoqi Liu(1959-1968), Qingling Song(1968-1972), Biwu Dong(1972-1975), Qingling Song (1981), Xianyi Li(1983-1988), Sanggon Yang(1988-1993), Zemin Kang(1993-2003), Jindo Hu(1003-2013), and Jinping Xi(2013-Present).

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1948~ Present President of the Republic of South Korea대한민국 대통령

1st~3rd President: Seungman Rhee 1948~1960

• Seungman Rhee served as the 1st to 3rd president from 1948 to 1960. After liberation in 1945, he served as the president of the Republic of Korea, and in 1950, the Korean War broke out. When he announced his resignation on April 26 due to the April 19 Revolution that occurred due to the fraudulent election on March 15, 1960. He was also the president who killed the most civilians (such as the Jeju April 3 uprising in 1947) among the presidents.

4th President: Boseon Yoon 1960~1962

• Boseon was the only Korean president to serve as a member of parliament, but he resigned from the presidency in 1962 when the May 16 military coup occurred. He served as president for only one year and five months.

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1963~1993 Military Regime 

5th~9th President: Chunghee Park 1963~1979

• The 5th to 9th president were Chunghee Park , who served from 1963 to 1979. While seizing power through the May 16 military coup d'état in 1961, he served as the president for almost 16 years from the 5th to the 9th generation through the Yusin Restoration and constitutional amendment for the third term. He was famous for economic development and the Saemaul (establish a new town) movement, but he was also the most famous president for his dictatorship. He was eventually killed by Central Intelligence Agency director Jaegyu Kim, who was called the '10 26 Uprising’.

• The total assets of the EG Group, which is managed by Chunghee Park’s son, Jiman, were 73.32931 billion won and sales were 112.56329 million won (as of 2018).

• Koreagate, Economic development of South Korea under U.S. President Kennedy: Investigation of Korean-American relations: report of the Subcommittee on International Organizations of the Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives

10th President: Kyuha Choi 1979~1979

• He served as Prime Minister when Chunghee Park was president and was Chunghee Park's nephew brother-in-law. After the death of President Chunghee Park, Prime Minister Kyuha Choi functioned as acting president from October 27, 1979, to December 6, 1979, and assumed the presidency on December 6, 1979. He stepped down from the presidency. He was the president of the Republic of Korea with the shortest tenure in history.

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11th~12th President: Doohwan Chun 1980~1988

• The 11th and 12th president, Doohwan Chun, served from 1980 to 1988. After seizing power through the Coup d'état of December Twelfth in 1979, he was elected as the 11th president indirectly in 1980, after which the bloody suppression of the 5.18 Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980 and the torture and death of Jongcheol Park occurred. Until 2021, he was tried for the 5.18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, but, regrettably, he was not sentenced to death. Their descendants live in abundance with the money and funds collected during Doohwan Chun's tenure.

• Doohwan Chun received 500 billion won in bribes from 30 representative head of a largest company in South Korea during his tenure. 

13th President: Taewoo Roh 1988~1993

• When he seized power through the 12.12 Incident, he joined the 12.12 Incident as a subordinate of Doohwan Chun. He was elected as the 13th president, beating both candidates as the unification of candidates Daejung Kim and Youngsam Kim broke down in the presidential election at the time.

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1993~2008 Civil Government 

14th President: Youngsam Kim 1993~1998

• The 14th president, Youngsam Kim, served from 1993 to 1998. It was the beginning of the civilian government, and the eradication of Hanahoe (a military group belonging to Doohwan Chun), the implementation of the real-name financial system, and disclosed public officials' assets. His tenure ended in 1997 when the Asian financial crisis (South Korean International Monetary Fund Agreement, 1997) broke out.

15th President: Daejung Kim 1998~2003

• The 15th president, Daejung Kim, served from 1998 to 2003. He was the first Korean president to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000, and in 2002, there was a Korea-Japan World Cup. President Daejung Kim received an honorary doctorate from Emory University.

16th President: Moohyun Roh 2003~2008

• The 16th president, Moohyun Roh, served from 2003 to 2008. A former human rights lawyer, he was the first president of the Republic of Korea to pass an impeachment bill.

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2008~2017 President who was sentenced to prison 

17th President: Myungbak Lee 2008~2013

• He was elected president in the 17th presidential election after serving as the chair of Hyundai Engineering & Construction and then the mayor of Seoul. The Four Major Rivers Project wasted a lot of money and ruined the country, so it was not resolved in 2023, and At that time, newspapers reported that mad cow disease in American beef had occurred in Korea. He was sentenced and went to prison, but in 2023, the 20th Seokyeol Yoon was pardoned. Myungbak Lee was also famous for the BBK stock price manipulation case.

18th President: Geunhye Park 2013~2017

• She is the daughter of Chunghee Park. As president, Park Geunhye was arrested for ‘Geunhye Park and Soonsil Choi scandal’ and ‘the Sewol Ferry incident’ (2014). The students who died at the time of the Sewol Ferry Incident were born in 1997.  In 2023, the 20th Seokyeol Yoon was pardoned.

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2017~2022 Civil Government 

19th President: Jaein Moon 2017~2022

• The 19th president, Jaein Moon, served from 2017 to 2022. He was the most passable of the presidents, and he was the one who developed the country and improved inter-Korean relations. managed smoothly South Korea has become the world's 10th-largest economy. However, he is also a president who failed in his real estate price policy.

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2025 President who was sentenced to prison 

20th President: Seokyeol Yoon 2022~2025

• The Yoon government fell from the middle of the 10th to the end of the 20th in Korea's democracy evaluation. In the MD evaluation, Korea's national competitiveness ranking fell by 4 stages in 4 years last year (23rd in 2021 → 27th in 2022). After that, the ranking went down another notch. Its “Government Efficiency” ranking went down from 36th to 38th. The ranking in the financial sector fell 8 places from 32nd to 40th and fell significantly. The real growth rate of general government debt fell sharply from 34th to 56th. On March 18, 2023, the day after the Korea-Japan summit between President Seokyeol Yoon and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, citizens gathered in the plaza held a rally to condemn the ruined diplomacy of the Seokyeol Yoon government. https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/1084154.html

• While Seokyeol Yoon was president, Kunhee Kim's endless fraud and controversy were drawing attention not only in South Korea but also abroad. The following is the Kunhee Kim bribery case on January 24, 2024. The controversy over Mrs. Kunhee Kim receiving a luxury bag as a gift threw the ruling People's Power Party into confusion. The spy camera footage released late last year showed a pastor giving her a Dior bag as a gift. The 'green belt' near the land of Kunhee Kim's family in Namyangju has been largely released. President Seokyeol Yoon's wife, Kunhee Kim, is in a very honorable position. However, behind that honorable position, there are numerous suspicions related to the accumulation of wealth by Mrs. Kim's family. On November 16, 2023, the Supreme Court confirmed a one-year prison sentence for the president's mother-in-law, Eunsoon Choi. This is because it was confirmed that she forged a balance certificate totaling about 35 billion won on four occasions in the process of purchasing land in Dochon-dong, Seongnam under someone else's name in 2013. <OhmyNews> looked into the process of Kunhee Kim’s family’s wealth accumulation based on as much records as possible. We analyzed 328 copies of real estate registrations, 88 copies of corporate registrations, and 3,105 pages of related records including statements, judgments, and indictments collected by Jeong Dae-taek, who is in a legal battle with Mrs. Kim’s family. We look into the family’s past, focusing on Mrs. Kim’s mother, Eunsoon Choi.

• The 2024 South Korean Coup d'état or the 12.3 Coup d'état refers to a series of events in which South Korean President Seokyeol Yoon declared unconstitutional and illegal martial law on December 3, 2024 at 10:27 PM (Korean Standard Time), paralyzing the National Assembly and the National Election Commission and attempting to control the press. In this speech, Seokyeol Yoon criticized the Democratic Party of Korea, the majority party in the National Assembly, for carrying out "legislative dictatorship" and "the state administration is paralyzed due to impeachment, special prosecution, and the bulletproof vestiges of the opposition party leader, and the National Assembly has become a den of criminals."

• On January 15, 2025, an arrest warrant for President Seokyeol Yoon was executed. It is the first time in constitutional history that a sitting president has been arrested as a suspect on charges of "sedition." However, Kunhee Kim, the wife of Seokyeol Yoon, the leader of the rebellion, has not yet been arrested and remains at the presidential residence, while only Seokyeol Yoon, a puppet, has been arrested.

• In addition, the ruling party, the People Power Party, is changing from a conservative party to an extreme right-wing party and is defending the crime of 'sedition'. It seems similar to the 'Noron' of the Joseon Dynasty, where the interests of the party were more important than the national interest. Due to the policies of Joseon that pursued the interests of the factions, Joseon declined and the situation in South Korea is similar. Due to Seokyeol Yoon's sedition, the economic growth rate in South Korea is expected to fall to 1% in 2025.

• Seokyeol Yoon attempted to provoke North Korea by sending drones into its territory to create a pretext for declaring martial law, but North Korea’s response was minimal. Later, facing the fallout from disclosures by Taekyun Myung and other pressures on him and his wife Gunhee Kim, he tried to declare martial law on December 3, 2024, but the attempt failed. Ultimately, he was removed from the presidency on April 4, 2025, on charges of treason.

• Seokyeol Yoon’s wife, Kunhee Kim, is under a special prosecutor’s investigation over allegations including stock manipulation of Deutsche Motors, interference in Taekyun Myung’s candidacy, and requests involving the monk Geonjin

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2025~ Civil Government 

21st President: Jaemyeong Lee June 3, 2025~

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List of U.S. Presidents

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• 1st – George Washington (1789–1797): As the first President of the United States, George Washington played a leading role in the American Revolutionary War and laid the foundation of the nation based on the Constitution.

• 2nd – John Adams (1797–1801): Former Vice President to Washington, John Adams was a key figure in the founding of the United States and contributed significantly to the amendment and development of the Constitution.

• 3rd – Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809): A principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson doubled U.S. territory through the Louisiana Purchase and emphasized religious freedom and the importance of education.

• 4th – James Madison (1809–1817): Known as the "Father of the Constitution," Madison played a major role in its drafting and led the United States during the War of 1812 against Britain.

• 5th – James Monroe (1817–1825): He issued the Monroe Doctrine to prevent European interference and strengthened U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere.

• 6th – John Quincy Adams (1825–1829): Son of John Adams, he served as a diplomat and Secretary of State, helping lay the groundwork for the Monroe Doctrine.

• 7th – Andrew Jackson (1829–1837): The first President from a non-aristocratic background, Jackson expanded democracy, strengthened federal power in banking and economic policy, and implemented the Indian Removal Act.

• 8th – Martin Van Buren (1837–1841): He faced economic crisis and focused on recovery measures and financial system reform.

• 9th – William Henry Harrison (1841): Harrison’s presidency lasted only about a month due to illness after his inauguration, but he influenced modern campaign strategies.

• 10th – John Tyler (1841–1845): Succeeded Harrison, negotiated the Webster–Ashburton Treaty with Britain to expand the Canadian border, and approved the annexation of Texas.

• 11th – James K. Polk (1845–1849): Expanded U.S. territory westward through the Oregon Treaty and the Mexican–American War.

• 12th – Zachary Taylor (1849–1850): Served for only 16 months before dying of illness; worked to prevent national division over slavery.

• 13th – Millard Fillmore (1850–1853): Supported the Compromise of 1850 to ease tensions between the North and South.

• 14th – Franklin Pierce (1853–1857): Former member of the House and Senate; failed to resolve North-South disputes over slavery, contributing to the origins of the Civil War.

• 15th – James Buchanan (1857–1861): Presided over escalating North-South conflict but could not prevent national division.

• 16th – Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865): Preserved the Union during the Civil War, issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and is widely considered one of the greatest U.S. presidents. The first encounter between Korea and the United States during the Joseon Dynasty was the General Sherman incident of 1866, when the American merchant ship sailed up the Daedong River demanding trade, leading to an armed clash with Korean forces. Later, in 1871, the Shinmiyangyo occurred, during which the U.S. fleet invaded Ganghwa Island. This was also the period when Seokyeon Byun of the 18th generation of the Wonju Byun clan lived.

• 17th – Andrew Johnson (1865–1869): Succeeded Lincoln after his assassination; faced the first presidential impeachment trial but was acquitted and avoided removal from office.

• 18th – Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877): Continued Reconstruction policies and passed strong laws to protect Black voting rights.

• 19th – Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881): Ended the Reconstruction era, withdrew federal troops from the South, and reinforced legal protections for civil rights.

• 20th – James Garfield (1881): Shot shortly after taking office, he served six months and pursued civil service reform.

• 21st – Chester A. Arthur (1881–1885): Implemented the Pendleton Act, ending the patronage system and establishing merit-based administration.

• 22nd – Grover Cleveland (1885–1889): Focused on honest governance and curbing corruption.

• 23rd – Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893): Implemented protective tariffs and domestic reforms.

• 24th – Grover Cleveland (1893–1897): Reelected president; worked to stabilize the economy during the Panic of 1893.

• 25th – William McKinley (1897–1901): Last president of the 19th century and first of the 20th; won the Spanish–American War, expanding U.S. global influence.

• 26th – Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909): Mediated the Russo-Japanese War and resolved the Morocco crisis; awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1907.

• 27th – William Howard Taft (1909–1913): Negotiated the Taft–Katsura Agreement with Japan and is the only person to serve as both President and Chief Justice of the U.S.

• 28th – Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921): Led the U.S. to victory in World War I and advocated for the League of Nations.

• 29th – Warren G. Harding (1921–1923): Promoted economic recovery post-WWI but died amid corruption scandals.

• 30th – Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929): Emphasized economic growth and signed the Kellogg–Briand Pact to renounce war as policy.

• 31st – Herbert Hoover (1929–1933): President during the Great Depression; economic recovery policies largely ineffective.

• 32nd – Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945): Only president elected to four terms; recovered the economy through the New Deal and led the U.S. through WWII.

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• 33rd – Harry S. Truman (1945–1953): Oversaw the end of WWII, led the U.S. during the Korean War, defending South Korea and preventing its unification under the North. Effectively, during this period, the Korean War in 1950 marked the beginning of Korea receiving U.S. support, which initiated substantive economic and political relations between the two nations.

• 34th – Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961): WWII general, developed the interstate highway system, improved infrastructure, and fully restored economic strength.

• 35th – John F. Kennedy (1961–1963): Faced the Bay of Pigs invasion, Cuban Missile Crisis, Berlin Wall, space race, and Vietnam War; assassinated in office.

• 36th – Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969): Advanced civil rights legislation but declined re-election due to the prolonged Vietnam War.

• 37th – Richard Nixon (1969–1974): Opened relations with China and ended U.S. involvement in Vietnam but resigned over the Watergate scandal.

• 38th – Gerald Ford (1974–1977): Succeeded Nixon and worked to stabilize the nation.

• 39th – Jimmy Carter (1977–1981): Devout Christian whose rigid moral policies faced criticism; post-presidency, he promoted international conflict resolution and human rights, winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

• 40th – Ronald Reagan (1981–1989): Implemented conservative policies, revived the economy with “Reaganomics,” and contributed to the end of the Cold War.

• 41st – George H. W. Bush (1989–1993): Liberated Kuwait in the Gulf War, supported the end of the Cold War and German reunification.

• 42nd – Bill Clinton (1993–2001): First Baby Boomer president, oversaw economic prosperity. It was in 1997 that the descendants of the Wonju Byun clan settled in the United States.

• 43rd – George W. Bush (2001–2009): Son of George H. W. Bush; declared the War on Terror after 9/11, leading to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

• ​44th – Barack Obama (2009–2017): First Black U.S. president; implemented healthcare reform, oversaw economic recovery, and legalized same-sex marriage. Considered among the worst presidents by some.

• ​45th – Donald Trump (2017–2021): Cut taxes, reduced regulations, sparked controversy, and cultivated a strong base of supporters.

• ​46th – Joe Biden (2021–2025): Focused on COVID-19 response, economic recovery, climate change, and infrastructure; long political career but limited notable achievements.

• ​47th – Donald Trump (2025– ): Returned to office after winning the 2024 election, supported by voters dissatisfied with Biden’s performance; U.S. response to China’s growing power remains uncertain.

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