Former PM Kim Hwang-sik defends Syngman Rhee at Far East Forum

Former Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik speaks during the 56th Far East Forum Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of FEBC-Korea

Former Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik, who served from 2010 to 2013, said that blaming Syngman Rhee, Korea’s first president, for the division of the Korean Peninsula amounts to "historical distortion."

“It was already the case that a communist regime had been established in the North before the formation of a separate government in South Korea. If this had been left unchecked, there was a high possibility that the entire Korean Peninsula would have become communist,” Kim said Monday at the 56th Far East Forum held in Seoul. The forum was organized by the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC)-Korea.

Views on Rhee’s legacy remain deeply divided in Korea. Critics argue that Rhee failed to pursue reunification as the country’s leader, while his defenders contended that without Rhee, the entire peninsula could have fallen under communist rule.

Born in 1875, Rhee spent his young adult life in the United States and contributed to Korea's independence fight against Japan's 1910-45 colonial occupation. After liberation, he was elected Korea’s first president in 1948, and remained in office through the 1950-53 Korean War. His governing style was rigidly authoritarian, and his administration oversaw several massacres of civilians. He won a fourth term in an uncontested election in 1960 but was forced out of office following the April 19 Revolution later that year. Rhee subsequently went into exile in the U.S. and died there in 1965.

Kim praised Rhee’s leadership in steering South Korea toward democracy, calling it “almost a miracle.” He cited Rhee’s role in granting women the right to vote, implementing land reform and making primary education compulsory.

Kim said his views on Rhee’s legacy were shaped in part by his research on German chancellors. In 2022 and 2023, he published books on German political leaders.

He said the research on former German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer was a reminder of Rhee because of the similarities two leaders shared.

"Both were great leaders of new countries, well-prepared with extensive experience."

Born in 1876, Adenauer became the first chancellor of West Germany in 1949 and remained in office until 1963. He is remembered for leading the country’s postwar economic recovery and for being one of the founding figures of European integration.

Launched in 2003, the Far East Forum has hosted a range of prominent political figures. Previous speakers include former presidents Kim Young-sam and Lee Myung-bak, as well as Ban Ki-moon, former secretary-general of the United Nations.