Who Was Rhee Syngman?
Young Kim
Lee Wha Rang, February 22, 2000
Dr. Rhee Syngman ruled South Korea from 1948 until his downfall in 1960. His
fanatic anti-communism made him a darling of the United States. In spite of
his professed faith in Christianity, he had more Koreans killed than any
other tyrants in the Korean history.
He was the man behind the Cheju 4.3 Massacre, the Daejun Massacre, the Suwon
Massacre, the blowing up the Hangang Bridge, assassination of Kim Ku and Yo
Woon Young and countless other killings of Koreans.
Although Dr. Rhee dominated Korea for over ten years, little information is
available on him on the Internet and what little cyber-information available
is mostly false or inaccurate. For example, one source claims that Rhee
presided over a 'government in exile in Hawaii'. Another source claims Rhee
was from the royal family line. Most history books praise him as the 'tiger
of Korea', democratically elected founder of Korea, most revered by all
Koreans even today, and so on.
Nothing can be further from truth.
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"Rhee is a sinister and dangerous man, an anachronism who had strayed into
this age to use the cliché,s and machinery of democracy for unscrupulous and
undemocratic ends." - Mark Gayn, the Chicago Sun.
"The Korean leadership is provided by that numerically small class which
virtually monopolizes the native wealth and education of the country...
Since this class could not have acquired and maintained its favored position
under Japanese rule without a certain minimum of collaboration, it has
experienced difficulty in finding acceptable candidates for political office
and has been forced to support imported expatiate politicians such as
Syngman Rhee and Kim Ku. These, while they have no pro-Japanese taint, are
essentially demagogue bent on autocratic rule." -- March 10, 1948, US CIA
"Rhee will be killed in a few weeks, when the Korean people find out the tru
th." -- Gen. MacArthur.
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All the legends aside, Rhee was born on March 26, 1875 (many of the
'official' documents list 1876, but Rhee listed 1875 as the year of his
birth on his application to Princeton), a son of an impoverished yangban,
Rhee Kyong Sun. Rhee organized fellow students to oppose the corrupt Yi
government and spent six years in jail for his "treason". While in prison,
he became a Christian.
In 1904, the Yi government sent Rhee (because of his English and American
connection) to the US in order to implement the US-Korea Friendship Treaty
signed in 1885. The Yi officials were unaware of the secret agreement the US
had made with Japan, whereby Japan would take over Korea and Manchuria, and
the US would take the Philippines.
In November 1905, Rhee Syngman met Teddy Roosevelt in Washington and pleaded
in vain for American support for Korean independence. Foreign nations
(including the US) withdrew diplomatic missions from Seoul.
Rhee obtained a Bachelor of Art at George Washington University in 1907 and
a Master's Degree at Harvard in 1909. In September 1908, he enrolled at
Princeton University and obtained a Ph.D. on June 14, 1910 at the age of 33.
Rhee was penniless and the Princeton University waived the fees and the
Princeton Theological Seminary gave him free room and board (Rhee's mailing
address was: 111 Hodge Hall, Princeton, NJ) on Rhee's promise that he would
return to Korea to spread the Gospel.
In a neat handwritten letter to the Princeton officials dated September 23,
1908, Rhee pleads for special considerations for his 'extreme poverty' and
his promised return to Korea by 1910. He wants a Ph.D. in two years and the
Princeton granted his wish in a letter dated October 2, 1908. Rhee lived at
202 N 36th St., New York, NY at the time.
Curiously, Princeton had contacted Harvard to verify Rhee's alleged Master's
degree. It turned out that even though Rhee had completed his master degree
requirements, he had not been awarded the degree yet. Princeton decided to
ignore Rhee's 'misunderstanding' and the whole matter was dropped. (Rhee's
'official' biography states that Rhee was awarded a Master's degree from
Harvard in 1908, but the degree was awarded in 1909, one year after Rhee was
admitted to Princeton).
Rhee was not a good student. His grade cards show: Economics (D), Government
(B) and 3 History courses (B, B, C). He took 7 classes at Princeton barely
passing them. In fact, the first reading of his thesis - "Neutrality As
Influenced by the United States" - was unfavorable. In an April 14, 1910
letter, Prof. Edward Elliott, Dean of College, informed Rhee that "The
majority of those who have examined it are unwilling to recommend its
acceptance..".
On May 24, 1910, Rhee's thesis was accepted finally "on condition that the
last part be put into as good condition as the first.." Rhee was finally
granted his Ph.D. - the first Korean to be so honored - on June 3, 1910.
However, Rhee could not raise enough money to bind and publish his thesis as
required by Princeton and Rhee was given one year to comply with this rule.
In mid-1910, Rhee Syngman returned to Korea as a teacher at Seoul YMCA and
as a Christian missionary (Methodist). He lived at YMCA, Seoul, Korea. In a
letter dated January 31, 1911, Rhee tells Princeton that he does not have
the $80 needed for his thesis. He wrote "I have to ask for some more help
either from the University or from the unknown friend who helped me so much
already." The 'unknown friend' probably refers to the Methodist Church of
America.
In 1912, Rhee Syngman gave up his evangelic work in Korea and emigrated to
Hawaii as headmaster of a Methodist school, The Korean Christian Institute,
Honolulu, Hawaii. There, Rhee founded and edited the Korean Pacific Magazine
in 1913.
On April 8, 1919, the Korean Provisional Government (KPG) was established in
the French Concession of Shanghai. Rhee Syngman (in absentia) was elected
president, Yi Tong Whi defense minister (later, premier) and Kim Kyu Sik
foreign minister. The KPG had its own parliament, press, and a military
school in Shanghai. The original founders of KPG represented a broad
spectrum of the Korean political ideologies united in the common cause of
Korean independence.
On Sept. 23, 1919, Gen. Yi Tong Whi took over the premiership of the Korean
Provisional Government in Shanghai. Gen. Yi filled high positions in the KGP
with his fellow members of the Korean People's Socialist Party. Yi's effort
to regroup KPG into a united front failed, however. The exiles split into
two primary groups: Yi's group who favored military actions with Soviet
backing and Rhee Syngman's group which favored diplomatic channels working
closely with America.
On Dec. 8, 1920, Rhee Syngman arrived in Shanghai. Rhee was elected
president of the KPG in 1919, in absentia, but this was the first time Rhee
set foot in the KPG office.
On Jan. 26, 1921, Shanghai, the Korean Provisional Government split openly.
When Rhee's faction learned about Lenin's gold rubles, an open hostility
toward Gen. Yi erupted. Rhee Syngman accused Kim Rip of embezzling funds to
finance his sex habits. Kim Rip was assassinated and Gen. Yi parted company
with the KPG.
Unfortunately for the KGP, Rhee was more interested in fermenting dissension
in the ranks than in forming a united front against Japan. Rhee was finally
expelled by Kim Ku from the KPG in 1925 for embezzelements (in 1960, he was
expelled again, being accused of taking $20 million from his Seoul
government among other misdeed). Kim Ku became the president.
Rhee returned to Hawaii in disgrace. From 1925 to 1945, Rhee attempted to
pass himself off as the sole representative of Korea even though the Korean
Provisional Government disowned him in 1925. The US State Dept. officials
wrote him off as an old man out of touch and representing no one but himself
in Korea.
In America, Rhee's financial problems worsened and he turned to the Soviets
for help. On his train tip to Moscow, Rhee met a young Austrian woman,
Francisca Donner. Rhee was refused entry to the Soviet Union. Bitterly
disappointed, he returned to Hawaii but kept in touch with Miss. Donner.
He married Francisca Donner on October 8, 1934 in New York City. He
supported his family on contributions from other Koreans in US. In 1943, the
Korean National Association in the US accused Rhee of taking money earmarked
for independence activities for his personal use. According to a Princeton
document, Rhee and his wife lived at 1766 Hobart Street, NW, Washington, DC.
in 1940.
Rhee listed his profession as: "Washington Representative" of the
Provisional Government of Korea in Exile, Chungking, China. In a 1948
document, Rhee lists his position as: "Chairman, Korean Commission", located
at 4700 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC.
On October 12, 1945, Gen. MacArthur ordered Col. Preston Goodfellow, former
Deputy Director of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services), to fetch Syngman
Rhee from America. Rhee owed this fortune to Chiang Kai Sek. MacArthur was
looking for a Korean leader he could count on and asked Chiang Kai Sek for a
recommendation. Chiang came out with two names: Kim Ku and Rhee Syngman.
MacArthur ordered Gen. Hodge (in charge of Korea) to treat Rhee with respect
and do whatever in Hodge's power to anoint Rhee as the chosen puppet to
control the 'Korean mobs'.
Rhee had been trying to return home since Aug. 15, 1945, but the US State
Dept. would not issue him a passport for his travel. Sometime in the 1940's,
Rhee was enrolled into the OSS by Col. Preston Goodfellow. The OSS wanted
'Col. Rhee' to organize an espionage network inside Korea.
However, "Col. Rhee" had no contact in Korea and could not find a single
Korean in Korea for this job. Nevertheless, Rhee gave out generous
"concessions" in post-war Korea to a number of his supporters including
Goodfellow in return for their support for his authority Korea.
In 1948, Rhee was 'democratically elected President of the First Republic of
Korea.". Rhee was removed from power by the Korean people in 1960.
On April 28, 1960, a DC-4 belonging to the Civil Air Transport (CAT was
operated by the US CIA) spirited Rhee out of Korea barely one step ahead of
a lynch mob. Kim Yong Kap, Rhee's Deputy Minister of Finance, revealed that
Rhee took $20 million of the government fund. Rhee, his wife and an adopted
son lived at 2033 Makiki St., Honolulu, Hawaii.
Rhee died on July 19, 1965 at the age of 90 of a stroke. His 65-year old
wife Francisca and adopted son Rhee In Soo were at his bedside. A US Air
Force plane carried his body to Seoul for a family funeral. Park Jung Hee,
who had plotted to topple Rhee, planned a state funeral but decided against
it in face of mounting opposition. Rhee's body was interned at Dougjak-dong
National Cemetery near Seoul.
Francisca Rhee returned to her native country and lived out her tragic life
with a relative, Miss B Donner, at Laurenzgasse 4/6, 1050 Vienna, Austria.