The Founding of Two Korean States (1948)

Korean Political History I: Colonization, Division & the Road to Democracy

Chapter 3 · The Founding of Two Korean States (1948)

Chapter 2 ended with two occupation zones and a failed attempt at a joint solution. In 1948 each zone became a state. This chapter follows both foundings side by side: an election and a constitution in the south, and a party-led structure built under Soviet supervision in the north. It also settles the date question Chapter 2 left open, as far as the sources allow. The chapter relies on reference summaries; the ones for the north disagree in places, and the chapter marks where.

The South: An Election, a Constitution, a President

On 10 May 1948 the south held an election for a Constituent National Assembly of 200 seats. It is described as the first time in Korean history that citizens could vote for a national legislative body. It took place under US military occupation with UN supervision, and reported turnout was 95.5 percent.

Date (1948)	Event
10 May	Election to the Constituent National Assembly (200 seats).
17 July	The assembly adopts a constitution modeled on the US system.
20 July	The assembly elects Syngman Rhee president. One source gives his vote as 92.3 percent.
15 August	The Republic of Korea is formally declared and Rhee is inaugurated; the military government ends.
12 December	The UN General Assembly declares the Republic of Korea the "only lawful government in Korea," in the source's words.

The Results

Rhee's National Association won 55 seats with 25.87 percent of the vote. Independents won 85 seats, and the Korea Democratic Party won 29 seats with 13.51 percent.

The Boycott

Major figures Kim Koo and Kim Kyu-sik boycotted, reportedly viewing the election as dashing hopes of reunification with the north. The Korean left and much of the nationalist right largely abstained.

The Violence

Violence preceded the vote, with approximately 323 deaths reported. I did not find a breakdown of who was responsible or where it occurred, so I do not attribute it.

Two True Statements That Point Different Ways A very high turnout and the first-ever national legislative vote support the election's claim to legitimacy. The boycott by two major figures, the abstention of large parts of the left and right, and the reported violence support the criticism that the election was incomplete. I could not weigh them further from these sources, and the north could not take part because, the source says, of Soviet obstruction.

Who Rhee Was

Syngman Rhee was born on 26 March 1875. He held American university degrees (BA at George Washington University in 1907, MA at Harvard in 1908 and PhD at Princeton in 1910), was imprisoned in 1899 for anti-Japanese activities, and moved to the United States in 1904. After the March First Movement (Chapter 1) he served as president of the Korean Provisional Government from 1919 until his impeachment in 1925 over alleged misuse of power. He returned to Korea in October 1945. The source characterizes his presidency (1948–1960) as authoritarian and anti-communist. Chapter 5 covers how it ended.

The North: A Party State Under Soviet Supervision

Where the south built its state through an election, the sources describe the north building its through a party and a sequence of reorganized committees.

Date	Event
19 Sept 1945	Kim Il Sung arrives in Wonsan with 66 Korean Red Army officers.
14 Oct 1945	Soviet authorities introduce Kim to the public as a guerrilla hero.
4 Jan 1946	Cho Man-sik, who opposed trusteeship, disappears into house arrest.
8 Feb 1946	People's Committees are reorganized as Interim People's Committees dominated by Communists (Chapter 2).
Aug 1946	The North Korean Communist Party merges with the New People's Party to form the Workers' Party of North Korea.
Dec 1946	Elections are held; the Democratic Front led by the Workers' Party wins.
Aug 1948	A new Supreme People's Assembly is elected.
9 Sept 1948	The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is established, with Kim Il Sung as premier.
Dec 1948	Soviet forces withdraw.

Settling the Date Question From Chapter 2 Chapter 2 noted that one summary gave 10 July 1948 as the date the north was established, and another gave 9 September. The best-supported reading from the new sources is this: 9 September 1948 is the formal establishment of the state, with Kim as premier. The 10 July date appears to be when the constitution was adopted by the People's Assembly, and one source notes that the relationship between the two dates "requires clarification." I could not resolve exactly how the July adoption and the September proclamation fit together, so treat 9 September as the founding date and 10 July as a step whose meaning is uncertain.

How the Sources Describe Kim's Rise Earlier the Soviet Civil Administration source said Soviet generals "installed" Kim as leader. This chapter's source says Soviet authorities introduced him to the public as a guerrilla hero on 14 October 1945. These are consistent, but the wording differs in how much it stresses Soviet choice. I did not find a source on his real record as a guerrilla, and the popular claims on that subject are outside what this chapter verified.

Comparing the Two Foundings

	Republic of Korea (south)	Democratic People's Republic (north)
How the state was formed	Election to a constituent assembly, then a constitution and an assembly-chosen president	A reorganized committee system, a merged party, and an elected Supreme People's Assembly
Formal date	15 August 1948	9 September 1948
Leader	Syngman Rhee, president	Kim Il Sung, premier
Foreign sponsor's role	US occupation with UN supervision of the election	Soviet Civil Administration until the state was formed; Soviet withdrawal in December 1948
External recognition	UN General Assembly, 12 December 1948: the "only lawful government in Korea"	Not covered by the sources I read

What I Did Not Verify Each state is commonly said to have claimed authority over the whole peninsula. The sources I read show that for the south only through the UN statement above, and say nothing on the wording of either constitution on that point, so I do not assert it. I also did not research the Jeju uprising, the Yeosu–Suncheon events or the 1948 leftist unrest in the south, which are significant to the story of the southern state's founding.

Hands-On Exercises

Exercise 1

Using the table of dates, explain the steps by which each state was formed and say which foundings the sources describe as involving an election, and what limits on those elections the sources mention.

→ Solution

Exercise 2

Write one sentence giving the founding date of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that handles the 10 July and 9 September dates carefully.

→ Solution

Exercise 3

A student writes "the 1948 southern election was free and fair because turnout was 95.5 percent." Say what the sources support and what they do not, and rewrite the sentence.

→ Solution

Quick Reference

10 May 1948: south elects a 200-seat Constituent National Assembly; turnout 95.5%; Rhee's National Association 55 seats, independents 85, Korea Democratic Party 29; about 323 deaths reported in the run-up
Boycott: Kim Koo and Kim Kyu-sik; the left and much of the right largely abstained
17 July / 20 July / 15 August 1948: constitution adopted / Rhee elected president / Republic of Korea declared
North: Kim arrives 19 Sept 1945; introduced 14 Oct 1945; Workers' Party of North Korea Aug 1946; Supreme People's Assembly Aug 1948
9 Sept 1948: DPRK established, Kim premier; the 10 July date's meaning is unclear
12 Dec 1948: UN General Assembly calls the Republic of Korea the "only lawful government in Korea"; Soviet forces withdraw
Not covered: the Jeju and Yeosu–Suncheon events; constitutional claims to the whole peninsula