Editing Syngman Rhee (section)

== Early life and career ==
=== Early life ===
Syngman Rhee was born on 26 March 1875 as Rhee Syng man in Daegyeong, a village in [[Pyongsan County|Pyeongsan County]], [[Hwanghae Province]], [[Joseon]].<ref name="Doopedia">{{cite web |url=http://www.doopedia.co.kr/doopedia/master/master.do?_method=view&MAS_IDX=101013000746262 |script-title=ko:이승만 [李承晩] |publisher=[[Doosan Corporation]] |work=[[Doopedia]] |access-date=12 March 2014 |language=ko |trans-title=Rhee Syngman}}</ref><ref name="Brit">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/501064/Syngman-Rhee |title=Syngman Rhee |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |access-date=13 March 2014}}</ref><ref name="CNNfyi">{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/fyi/school.tools/profiles/Syngman.Rhee/frameset.exclude.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140314010752/http://edition.cnn.com/fyi/school.tools/profiles/Syngman.Rhee/frameset.exclude.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 March 2014 |title=Syngman Rhee: First president of South Korea |publisher=CNN |work=CNN Student News |access-date=13 March 2014}}</ref><ref name="Cold War Files">{{cite web |url=http://legacy.wilsoncenter.org/coldwarfiles/index-33794.html |title=Syngman Rhee |publisher=Cold War International History Project |work=The Cold War Files |access-date=13 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140314010713/http://legacy.wilsoncenter.org/coldwarfiles/index-33794.html |archive-date=14 March 2014 }}</ref> Rhee was the third but only surviving son out of three brothers and two sisters (his two older brothers both died in infancy) in a rural family of modest means.<ref name="Doopedia" /> Rhee's family traced its lineage back to King [[Taejong of Joseon]]. He was a 16th-generation descendant of [[Grand Prince Yangnyeong]] through his second son, Yi Heun who was known as Jangpyeong Dojeong (장평도정;長平都正).<ref name="IEKAS">{{Cite journal |last=Cha |first=Marn J. |title=Syngman Rhee's First Love  |journal=The Information Exchange for Korean-American Scholars (IEKAS) |issue=12–19 |page=2 |date=19 September 2012 |orig-year=1996 |url=http://www.phy.duke.edu/~myhan/kaf1204.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314030738/http://www.phy.duke.edu/~myhan/kaf1204.pdf |archive-date=14 March 2014 |url-status=live |issn=1092-6232 |access-date=14 March 2014}}</ref> This case makes him a distant relative of the mid-Joseon military officer [[Yi Sun-sin (born 1554)|Yi Sun-sin]] (not be confused with Admiral [[Yi Sun-sin]]). His mother was a member of [[Gimhae Kim clan]].

In 1877, at the age of two, Rhee and his family moved to [[Seoul]], where he had traditional [[Confucianism|Confucian]] education in various ''[[seodang]]'' in Nakdong ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=낙동 |hanja=駱洞}}) and Dodong ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=도동 |hanja=桃洞}}).<ref name="EncyKorea">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Contents/Index?contents_id=E0044938 |script-title=ko:이승만 |publisher=[[Academy of Korean Studies]] |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of Korean Culture]] |access-date=13 March 2014 |language=ko |trans-title=Rhee Syngman}}</ref> When Rhee was six years old a [[smallpox]] infection rendered him virtually blind until he was treated with western medicine, possibly by a Japanese doctor.<ref>It is sometimes erroneously claimed that Rhee was treated by American medical missionary Horace Allen. For a discussion of this topic see, Fields, ''Foreign Friends'', p. 17–19</ref> Rhee was portrayed as a potential candidate for the ''[[gwageo]]'', the traditional Korean [[civil service examination]], but in 1894 reforms abolished the ''gwageo'' system, and in April he enrolled in the {{ill|Paechae School|ko|배재학당}} ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=배재학당 |hanja=培材學堂}}), an American [[Methodist]] school, where he converted to Christianity.<ref name="Doopedia" /><ref name="CNNfyi" /><ref name="Cold War Files" /><ref name="Korea Times" /> Rhee studied English and ''sinhakmun'' ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=신학문 |hanja=新學問 |lit=new subjects}}). Near the end of 1895, he joined a Hyeopseong (Mutual Friendship) Club ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=협성회 |hanja=協成會}}) created by [[Philip Jaisohn]], who returned from the United States after his exile following the [[Kapsin Coup]]. He worked as the head and the main writer of the newspapers ''{{Ill|Hyŏpsŏnghoe Hoebo|ko|협성회회보}}'' and ''{{ill|Maeil Sinmun (Korean Empire)|lt=Maeil Sinmun|ko|매일신문 (대한제국)}}'',<ref name="EncyKorea" /> the latter being the first daily newspaper in Korea.<ref name="Korea Times">{{cite news |last=Breen |first=Michael |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/01/113_64364.html |title=Fall of Korea's First President Syngman Rhee in 1960 |work=[[The Korea Times]] |date=18 April 2010 |access-date=14 March 2014}}</ref> During this period, Rhee earned money by teaching the Korean language to Americans. In 1895, Rhee graduated from Pai Chai School.<ref name="Doopedia" />

=== Independence activities ===
Rhee became involved in [[Anti-Japanese sentiment in Korea|anti-Japanese]] circles after the end of the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] in 1895, which saw Joseon passed from the [[Qing dynasty|Chinese]] [[sphere of influence]] to the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]]. Rhee was implicated in a plot to take revenge for the [[assassination of Empress Myeongseong]], the wife of [[Gojong of the Korean Empire|King Gojong]] who was assassinated by Japanese agents (known in Korean history as the {{ill|Chunsaengmun incident|ko|춘생문 사건}}); however, a female American physician Georgiana E. Whiting helped him avoid the charges by disguising him as her patient and go to his sister's house. Rhee acted as one of the forerunners of the [[Korean independence movement]] through grassroots organizations such as the Hyeopseong Club and the [[Independence Club]]. Rhee organized several protests against corruption and the influences of the Japan and the [[Russian Empire]].<ref name="Korea Times" /> As a result, in November 1898, Rhee attained the rank of ''Uigwan'' ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=의관 |hanja=議官}}) in the Imperial Legislature, the Jungchuwon ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=중추원 |hanja=中樞院}}).<ref name="EncyKorea" />

After entering civil service, Rhee was implicated in a plot to remove King Gojong from power through the recruitment of [[Pak Yŏnghyo]]. As a result, Rhee was imprisoned in the Gyeongmucheong Prison ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=경무청 |hanja=警務廳}}) in January 1899.<ref name="EncyKorea"/> Other sources place the year arrested as 1897 and 1898.<ref name="Doopedia" /><ref name="CNNfyi" /><ref name="Cold War Files" /><ref name="Korea Times" /> Rhee attempted to escape on the 20th day of imprisonment but was caught and was sentenced to life imprisonment through the Pyeongniwon ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=평리원 |hanja=平理院}}). He was imprisoned in the Hanseong Prison ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=한성감옥서 |hanja=漢城監獄署}}). In prison, Rhee translated and compiled ''The Sino–Japanese War Record'' ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=청일전기 |hanja=淸日戰紀}}), wrote ''The Spirit of Independence'' ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=독립정신 |hanja=獨立精神}}), compiled the ''New English–Korean Dictionary'' ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=신영한사전 |hanja=新英韓辭典}}) and wrote in the ''Imperial Newspaper'' ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=제국신문 |hanja=帝國新聞}}).<ref name="EncyKorea" /> He was also [[torture]]d.<ref name="Korea Times" />  Examples of this included Japanese officers lighting oil paper which were pushed up his fingernails, and then smashing them one-by-one.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jDbXpiJMFdIC&pg=PT326 |title=This Kind of War (Pages 167-168)   |author=[[T. R. Fehrenbach]]|date=2000 |publisher=Potomac Books |isbn=978-1-59797-878-1 }}</ref>

=== Political activities at home and abroad ===
[[File:Dr. Syngman Rhee, Com'l. LCCN2016875712.jpg|left|thumb|Rhee's [[Library of Congress]] print, 1939]]
In 1904, Rhee was released from prison at the outbreak of the [[Russo-Japanese War]] with the help of [[Min Young-hwan]].<ref name="Doopedia" /> In November 1904, with the help of Min Yeong-hwan and Han Gyu-seol ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=한규설 |hanja=韓圭卨}}), Rhee moved to the United States. In August 1905, Rhee and Yun Byeong-gu ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=윤병구 |hanja=尹炳求}})<ref name="EncyKorea" /> met with US President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] at [[Treaty of Portsmouth#Portsmouth Peace Conference|peace talks]] in [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]] and attempted unsuccessfully to convince the US to help preserve independence for Korea.<ref>{{cite book |author=Yu Yeong-ik ({{lang|ko|유영익}}) |script-title=ko:이승만의 삶과 꿈 |year=1996 |publisher=[[JoongAng Ilbo]] Press |location=Seoul |isbn=89-461-0345-0 |pages=40–44 |language=ko |trans-title=Rhee Syngman's Life and Dream}}</ref>

Rhee continued to stay in the United States; this move has been described as an "exile".<ref name="Korea Times" /> He obtained a Bachelor of Arts from [[George Washington University]] in 1907, and a Master of Arts from [[Harvard University]] in 1908.<ref name="Doopedia" /><ref name="IEKAS" /> In 1910,<ref name="Doopedia" /> he obtained a PhD from [[Princeton University]]<ref name="CNNfyi" /><ref name="Cold War Files" /> with the thesis "Neutrality as influenced by the United States" ({{Korean|hangul=미국의 영향하에 발달된 국제법상 중립|labels=no}}).<ref name="EncyKorea" />

In August 1910, Rhee returned to [[Korea under Japanese rule|Japanese-occupied Korea]].<ref name="EncyKorea" />{{efn|In 1910, the [[Korean Peninsula]] was officially annexed by the Empire of Japan.}} He served as a [[YMCA]] coordinator and missionary.<ref name="coppa-256">{{Cite book|editor=Coppa, Frank J.|chapter=Rhee, Syngman|title=Encyclopedia of modern dictators: from Napoleon to the present|publisher=Peter Lang|year=2006|isbn=978-0-8204-5010-0|page=256|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gTv99LBYSL4C&pg=PA256}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Jessup, John E.|chapter=Rhee, Syngman|title=An encyclopedic dictionary of conflict and conflict resolution, 1945–1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=1998|isbn=978-0-313-28112-9|page=626|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hP7jJAkTd9MC&pg=PA626}}</ref> In 1912, Rhee was implicated in the [[105-Man Incident]],<ref name="EncyKorea" /> and was shortly arrested.<ref name="Doopedia" /> However, he fled to the United States in 1912<ref name="CNNfyi" /> with M. C. Harris's rationale that Rhee was going to participate in the general meeting of Methodists in [[Minneapolis]] as the Korean representative.<ref name="EncyKorea" />{{efn|He did participate in the meeting as the Korean representative.}}

In the United States, Rhee attempted to convince [[Woodrow Wilson]] to help the people involved in the 105-Man Incident, but failed to bring any change. Soon afterwards, he met [[Park Yong-man]], who was in Nebraska at the time. In February 1913, as a consequence of the meeting, he moved to [[Honolulu]], Hawaii, and took over the Han-in Jung-ang Academy ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=한인중앙학원 |hanja=韓人中央學園}}).<ref name="EncyKorea" /> In Hawaii, he began to publish the ''Pacific Ocean Magazine'' ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=태평양잡지 |hanja=太平洋雜誌}}).<ref name="Doopedia" /> In 1918, he established the Han-in Christian Church ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=한인기독교회 |hanja=韓人基督敎會}}). During this period, he opposed Park Yong-man's stance on foreign relations of Korea and brought about a split in the community.<ref name="EncyKorea" /> In December 1918, he was chosen, along with Dr. Henry Chung DeYoung, as a Korean representative to the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference in 1919]] by the [[Korean National Association]] but they failed to obtain permission to travel to Paris. After giving up travelling to Paris, Rhee held the [[First Korean Congress]] in [[Philadelphia]] with [[Philip Jaisohn|Seo Jae-pil]] to make plans for future political activism concerning Korean independence.<ref name="EncyKorea" />

Following the [[March First Movement]] in March 1919, Rhee discovered that he was appointed to the positions of foreign minister for the {{ill|Korean National Assembly (Vladivostok)|lt=Korean National Assembly|ko|대한국민의회}} (a group in [[Vladivostok]]), prime minister for the [[Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea]] in Shanghai, and a position equivalent to president for the {{ill|Hanseong Provisional Government|ko|한성정부}}. In June, in the acting capacity of the President of the Republic of Korea, he notified the prime ministers and the chairmen of peace conferences of Korea's independence. On 25 August, Rhee established the Korean Commission to America and Europe ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=구미위원부 |hanja=歐美委員部}}) in Washington, DC. On 6 September, Rhee discovered that he had been appointed acting president for the Provisional Government in Shanghai.<ref name="CNNfyi" /><ref name="Cold War Files" /> From December 1920 to May 1921, he moved to Shanghai and was the acting president for the Provisional Government.<ref name="EncyKorea" />

However, Rhee failed to efficiently act in the capacity of Acting President due to conflicts inside the provisional government in Shanghai. In October 1920, he returned to the US to participate in the [[Washington Naval Conference]]. During the conference, he attempted to set the problem of Korean independence as part of the agenda and campaigned for independence but was unsuccessful.<ref name="Doopedia" /><ref name="EncyKorea" /> In September 1922, he returned to Hawaii to focus on publication, education, and religion. In November 1924, Rhee was appointed the position of [[president for life]] in the Korean Comrade Society ({{Korean|labels=no |hangul=대한인동지회 |hanja=大韓人同志會}}).<ref name="EncyKorea" />

In March 1925, Rhee was impeached as the president of the Provisional Government in Shanghai over allegations of misuse of power<ref name="KoreaTimes 13">{{cite news |last=Breen |first=Michael |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/issues/2014/03/363_97887.html |title=(13) Syngman Rhee: president who could have done more |date=2 November 2011 |access-date=7 April 2014 |work=[[The Korea Times]]}}</ref> and was removed from office. Nevertheless, he continued to claim the position of president by referring to the Hanseong Provisional Government and continued independence activities through the Korean Commission to America and Europe. In the beginning of 1933, he participated in the [[League of Nations]] conference in [[Geneva]] to bring up the question of Korean independence.<ref name="EncyKorea" />

In November 1939, Rhee and his wife left Hawaii for Washington, DC.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=O'Toole|first1=George Barry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z2TVAAAAMAAJ&q=%22november+1939%22+|title=The China Monthly|last2=Tsʻai|first2=Jên-yü|date=1939|publisher=China Monthly, Incorporated|pages=12|language=en}}</ref> He focused on writing the book ''Japan Inside Out'' and published it during the summer of 1941. With the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] and the consequent [[Pacific War]], which began in December 1941, Rhee used his position as the chairman of the foreign relations department of the provisional government in [[Chongqing]] to convince President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] and the [[United States Department of State]] to approve the existence of the Korean provisional government. As part of this plan, he cooperated with anti-Japan strategies conducted by the US [[Office of Strategic Services]] (OSS). In 1945, he participated in the [[United Nations Conference on International Organization]] as the leader of the Korean representatives to request the participation of the Korean provisional government.<ref name="EncyKorea" />

<gallery widths="160px" heights="200px">
File:1905-Syngman Rhee.jpg|Rhee in 1905 dressed to meet [[Theodore Roosevelt]]
File:RheeKim.jpg|Rhee and Vice President of the [[Korean Provisional Government]] [[Kim Kyu-sik]] in 1919
</gallery>