Korea in the 1940s: Liberation and Division

Korea was freed from Japanese rule on 15 August 1945, but the peninsula was split at the 38th parallel, with Soviet troops in the north and American troops in the south. The Moscow Conference's trusteeship decision divided Koreans into supporters and opponents, deepening ideological conflict, and the US–Soviet Joint Commission broke down. A general election held only in the South on 10 May 1948 produced a Constituent Assembly that promulgated a constitution on 17 July and chose Syngman Rhee as the first president, and the Republic of Korea was proclaimed on 15 August. With two separate governments—the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea—the division became entrenched.

Year by year

Korea in 1945

Japan's surrender brought liberation on August 15, but the peninsula was divided at the 38th parallel, with U.S. troops entering the south and Soviet troops the north. The Committee for the Preparation of Korean Indepen…

• Aug 15Japan announced its unconditional surrender, and Korea was liberated after 35 years of Japanese colonial rule.
• Aug 15The Committee for the Preparation of Korean Independence, led by Lyuh Woon-hyung and An Jae-hong, began work to keep order and prepare for a new state.
• Sep 6The preparation committee convened a national assembly of people's representatives and proclaimed the People's Republic of Korea.

Korea in 1946

Under the U.S. military government, left–right conflict over trusteeship intensified, and the U.S.–Soviet Joint Commission on a provisional government adjourned without results. Moderates launched a left–right coalition…

• Mar 20The first U.S.–Soviet Joint Commission met at Deoksugung Palace to discuss a Korean provisional government but adjourned indefinitely in May.
• May 15The Metropolitan Police announced that Korean Communist Party members had printed counterfeit notes at the Jeongpansa printing house, launching the Jeongpansa counterfeiting case.
• JulModerates including Lyuh Woon-hyung and Kim Kyu-sik formed the Left–Right Coalition Committee to seek a unified government.

Korea in 1947

The second U.S.–Soviet Joint Commission reconvened but broke down, and the United States referred the Korean question to the UN, opening the way to UN-observed elections and a government. Politics were volatile—coalitio…

• Mar 1Police fired on crowds during a March 1 commemoration on Jeju, killing civilians—an event regarded as the starting point of the Jeju April 3 incident.
• May 21The second U.S.–Soviet Joint Commission reconvened but ultimately failed to reach agreement.
• Jul 19Lyuh Woon-hyung, leader of the left–right coalition movement, was assassinated at the Hyehwa-dong rotary in Seoul.

Korea in 1948

UN-observed elections held only in the south on May 10 formed the Constituent Assembly; the Constitution was promulgated on July 17 and the government of the Republic of Korea was established on August 15. With the Demo…

• Apr 3Armed Workers' Party of South Korea insurgents attacked police stations on Jeju, starting the Jeju April 3 incident, in whose suppression many residents were killed.
• Apr 19Opposing separate elections in the south, Kim Ku and Kim Kyu-sik attended the North–South joint conference in Pyongyang.
• May 10The May 10 general election chose members of the Constituent National Assembly.

Korea in 1949

In the year after the government's founding, the state continued to build its institutions, enacting the Farmland Reform Act and creating an air force. But a police raid on the special committee investigating collaborat…

• May 20Prosecutors arrested sitting lawmakers on charges of acting as Workers' Party agents, beginning the National Assembly 'fraction' case.
• Jun 5The Bodo League was formed to monitor and control former leftists.
• Jun 6Armed police raided the headquarters of the Special Committee for Investigation of Anti-National Activities and arrested its staff.

Historical photo archive

• 1940sLiberation and a new republic (1945–49)52 photos