Syngman Rhee

Rhee, Syngman (1875–1965), president of South Korea. A leader in the movement to win Korean independence from Japan, he was in exile in Honolulu from 1910 to 1945, serving as president of the Korean Provisional Government for 20 years. Returning to Korea after World War II, he became the first president of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in 1948. He resigned from office in 1960 because of corruption and mismanagement by some of his appointees. He wrote Spirit of Independence (1904) during his imprisonment (1897–1904) for heading demonstrations for independence.