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 Democratic People's Republic of Korea founded in the north in September, division hardened, and bloody upheavals such as the Jeju April 3 incident and the Yeosu–Suncheon incident followed.

The year in Korea

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. [Source]
Apr 19Opposing separate elections in the south, Kim Ku and Kim Kyu-sik attended the North–South joint conference in Pyongyang. [Source]
May 10The May 10 general election chose members of the Constituent National Assembly. [Source]
Jul 17The Constitution of the Republic of Korea, enacted by the Constituent Assembly, was promulgated. [Source]
Aug 15The establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea, with Syngman Rhee as its first president, was proclaimed. [Source]
Sep 22The Anti-National Activities Punishment Act, aimed at punishing collaborators with Japanese rule, was promulgated. [Source]
Oct 19Soldiers of the 14th Regiment stationed in Yeosu mutinied rather than deploy to suppress Jeju, sparking the Yeosu–Suncheon incident. [Source]
Dec 1The National Security Act was enacted. [Source]

**19480531이승만 임시의장 인사말**Photo: Unknown Unknown · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Liberation and a new republic (1945–49) · Historical photo archive →

Around the world

Sep 9The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was established in the north with Kim Il Sung as premier. [Source]
Dec 10The UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. [Source]

Songs, shows & trends

Sports

First Summer Olympics and first medals in London — At Korea's first Summer Games under the Taegukgi, weightlifter Kim Sung-jip and boxer Han Soo-ann won bronze medals. [Source]

Year League: the best year

Sources

Each [Source] link points to the Wikipedia article for that item. Wikipedia content is available under CC BY-SA. Photos come from Wikimedia Commons and are used under the license shown with each one. Click a photo to open its original file page. More about this year on Wikipedia

1940s · Liberation and Division

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