American Military Government (1945-1948) - South Korea

Korea was liberated with the Japanese emperor's acceptance on August 15, 1945 of the Potsdam ultimatum, and Japan's surrender to the Allies, Japanese colonial rule in Korea came to an end. But, Korea was under the trusteeship and first occupied by the US and USSR troops and then the country was divided into two states along the 38th parallel north latitude against the Korean's will. General Hodge with his 24th corps arrived in Seoul and proclaimed American military rule in the southern half of the peninsula on September 9, 1945, while northern half was under the rule of USSR. In 1946,

Democratic Council of Representatives of South Korea was established with Dr. Rhee Seung Man as its chairman. Dr. Rhee was not cooperative with military government as he had an anti-trusteeship policy. Meanwhile, the communists and socialists organized the Korean Democratic National Front to counter with the American plans. American government installed a constabulary and coast guard and some former Korean officers who had been in the Japanese army joined the units, stopped publication of several papers, reformed the land and released the political prisoners.

The political parties mushroomed up to 350, creating a chaotic political situation, when American military government established South Korean interim government in May 1947. Of the dominant right wing parties were Korean Democratic Party of Kim Gyu Shik and the National Party of Rhee Seung Man, and left wing were the Working People's Party of Yeo Un Hyoung, and Korean Communist Party, which later changed its name to the South Korean Worker's Party, led by Park Hon Young. At General Hodge's request at the same time, the military government turned over the operations to Korean in May 1947 with An Je Hong and Kim Kyu Shik as civil administrators. In July 1947 when the extreme rightists and leftists were in conflicts, Yeo Un Hyong was assassinated by right wing policeman, and in December, Korean Democratic Party leader Chang Deok Su in turn by leftist.

These bloody events were followed by the outbreak of a communist inspired rebellion on Jeju Island in April 1948. Military government cracked down on the communists in August 1947 by closing their offices and arresting 1,000 leftists as they agitated the labor strike and unrest while circulating counterfeit notes. But, many of them including the leader Park Hon Young fled to North Korea and then the party went underground. Right wing refused any negotiation with left wing and USSR, and supported USA's cold war policy. With the USSR's refusal of the election in the northern half of the peninsula, South Korea alone elected congress members and the congress recommended Dr. Rhee Seung Man as chairman of the congress, and on August 15 1948, The republic of Korea was born.

Soviet occupation (1945 - ) - North Korea
Soviet troops occupied North Korea in August 1945 and recognized the legitimacy of the People's Republic, and authorized its People's Committee of North Korea of function as North Korea's regional government. In October 1945, a nationalist, Cho Man Shik became the head of the Five Provinces of Administrative Bureau of the People's Republic of Korea . Thus, indigenous Communists reemerged from underground and formed the North Korean Bureau of the Korean Communist Party. Soviet authority began to groom Kim Il Sung after disarming Japanese troops and repatriating them. Soviet Kim supported Kim Il Sung and he began to destroy indigenous Communist leaders. He finally became the First Secretary of the North Korean Bureau of the Korean Communist Party in October, 1945 and organized local communist parties around the country, bringing violent anti-Communist uprisings in the North Korean cities.

In early January 1946, under Soviet intimation the Communists changed their stand on the trusteeship plan of the Allies, bringing bloody clashes between the rightists and Kim Il Sung. Soviet authority put Cho Man Shik under house arrest and many Korean leaders were forced to flee to the South. The Communists carried out the sweeping Land Reform and confiscated the land and farm houses. In August, the industrial institutions and facilities including bank, transportation, railroads, and communication were nationalized. All private business disappeared as the government became the only employer and distributor of goods and services.

After crushing the nationalists in February 1947, Kim Il Sung reorganized the North Korean Provisional People's Committee with himself as chairman. In August, he organized North Korean Worker's Party, and in the South, the Communist party got its name as South Korean Workers' Party. In February 1947, General Congress of North Korean Provisional People's Committee met and established the North Korean People's Assembly and People's Committee replacing the North Korean Provisional Peoples' Committee. Kim Il Sung was named as its chairman and increased his power. In August 1948, Supreme People's Assembly, which is the supreme organ of the state, was established. But, it did not exercise the supreme power as it had no legislative power. As such the supreme organ of North Korean was the Korean workers' Party, which emerged when the North Korean Workers' Party and the South Korean Workers' Party were united into one body in 1949. The People's Army is another powerful organ of the state. It grew quickly in size, and by 1950 it had increased.