#)Syngman Rhee was the first president of Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.
#)Rhee was born on April 26, 1875, in Hwanghae Province,which is currently located in North Korea toYi Gyeong-seon, a member of an aristocratic Yangban family
#)He was descended from Prince Yangnyeong , who was the eldest son of King Taejong of Joseon
#)He was against the Japanese rule and as a result he was arrested in 1897 for demonstrating against the Japanese monarchy, being subsequently released in 1904 and going to the United States.
#)In United States of America he was educated in the at George Washington, Harvard, and Princeton universities and he holds several degrees that includes an B.A. from George Washington University, Harvard University, and a Ph.D. from Princeton University and he also became so Westernized that he started to began writing his name in the Western manner, with the personal name preceding the family name.
#)When his country was under Japanese rule in 1919, Rhee became president of a Korean government-in-exile based in Hawaii,USA,
#)He was in this position until 1941,and after that he campaigned relentlessly for international recognition of Korean independence from Japan.
#)When Japan in World War II in 1945 they liberated Korea, and he returned home and in 1948 was elected president of the Republic of South Korea
#)While he was the President , Rhee worked unsuccessfully for the reunification of South Korea with the Communist North Korea.
#)But in 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea resulting in a war which continued until an armistice was reached in 1953.
#)Rhee was reelected again in 1952, 1956, and 1960,and during this time he instituted several reforms in education and in also the ownership of land.
#)He was in the post of president from July 24, 1948 – April 26, 1960 for the period of 12 years
#)His leadership became increasingly totalitarian, however, Rhee was forced to resign in 1960 and to leave the country as a result of alleged irregularities in his last election, violent mass demonstrations broke .
#)He lived in Hawaii until his death on July 19, 1965.