In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Japan and Korea briefly reversed their economic and social positions.
This essay reexamines postwar East Asian history and historical narratives through a critical view of the Rhee Syngman era and its consequences for Korea.

2019-01-18
In the end, Rhee Syngman contributed nothing to the development of Korean society or its economy, but merely wielded dictatorial power, imposed oppression, carried out mass killings of his own people, and drove the country into poverty.

The following is a continuation of the previous chapter.
During the Pacific War, Korea was not bombed and there was virtually no conscription (with only a small number drafted and the war ending before deployment), and apart from requisitioning of goods and labor, it received treatment that was exceptionally favorable for a “colony.”
As a result, at the end of the war, while mainland Japan had suffered massive casualties and was reduced to ashes, Korea remained almost entirely intact.
In other words, in the immediate postwar period, the economic and social conditions of Japan and Korea had completely reversed.
However, by the time Rhee Syngman left power, Korea had fallen into extreme poverty, and the positions of the two countries had reversed once again.
In the end, Rhee Syngman contributed nothing to the development of Korean society or economy, but merely exercised dictatorial authority, imposed oppression, carried out mass killings of his own citizens, and impoverished the nation.
Meanwhile, the Korean government still conceals this shameful chapter, and instead fabricates nonexistent massacres by the Japanese military and teaches such false history to its children, making it something of an accomplice.
To be continued.