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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.
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