Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee (Yu Sung-man) was born on Friday, March 26, 1875 in Whanghae and he was a famous head of state from South Korea of Christian religion.
After his release in 1905 his education in the United States. Rhee eventually received a Ph.D from Princeton University in International Law. In 1919 he was elected president of the Korean Provisional Government in exile.
After the Second World War Rhee returned to Korea. Over the next two years Rhee emerged as the main right-wing politician in Korea and in 1947 he received the unofficial support of the United States government.
In 1948 Rhee became the first president of South Korea. He soon developed a reputation for authoritarian rule and his political opponents were quickly silenced.
Syngman Rhee remained in power after the Korean War. Over the years his regime was seen as authoritarian, corrupt and inefficient. He was re-elected in 1956 and 1960 by large majorities. However, few believed the elections had been fair and gave rise to widespread anti-government demonstrations.
A student uprising toppled Rhee's government in April 1960. Syngman Rhee escaped to Hawaii where he remained until his death on 19th July, 1965.