The Making of the First Korean President: Syngman Rhee’s Quest for Independence

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Description

The only full-scale history of Syngman Rhee’s (1875–1965) early career in English was once published nearly six decades ago. Now, in The Making of the First Korean President, Young Ick Lew uncovers little-known aspects of Rhee’s leadership roles prior to 1948, when he became the Republic of Korea’s first president. In this richly illustrated volume, Lew delves into Rhee’s background, investigates his abortive diplomatic missions, and explains how and why he was once impeached as the head of the Korean Provisional Government in 1925. He analyzes the a lot of personal conflicts between Rhee and other prominent Korean leaders, including some close friends and supporters who in the end denounced him as an autocrat.

Rhee is portrayed as a fallible yet charismatic leader who spent his life fighting in the diplomatic and propaganda arena for the independence of his beleaguered nation―a struggle that would have consumed and defeated lesser men. Based on exhaustive research that comprises archival records in addition to secondary sources in Korean, English, and Japanese, The Making of the First Korean President meticulously lays out the key developments of Rhee’s pre-presidential career, including his early schooling in Korea, involvement in the reform movement against the Taehan (“Great Korean”) Empire, and his six-year incarceration in Seoul Prison for a coup attempt on Emperor Kojong. Rhee’s life in the U.S. may be examined in detail: his education at George Washington, Harvard, and Princeton universities; his evangelical work at the Seoul YMCA; his extensive activities in Hawai‘i and attempts to deal with prestige and power among Koreans in the U.S. Lew concludes that, in spite of the manifold shortcomings in Rhee’s authoritarian leadership, he was once undoubtedly best prepared to assume the presidency of South Korea after the onset of the Cold War in the Korean Peninsula.

Essential reading for any individual with an interest in modern Korean history, this work will serve as a lasting portrait of some of the pivotal figures in the evolution of Korea as it journeyed from colonial suppression to freedom and security.

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