At the end of World War II the Korean peninsula was divided into two spheres of influence by the victorious Allies. The North of the peninsula was administered by the Soviets, and the South was administered by the Americans. In order to contain the spread of Communism, the United States announced that democratic elections would take place across the Korean peninsula under the auspices of the United Nations. The Soviet Union and its Communist clients in the North boycotted the elections, which resulted in the establishment of the Republic of Korea—or South Korea—in 1948, with Syngman Rhee as the first South Korean president.
The North carried out its own parliamentary elections, but they were far from being open or democratic. All the candidates were selected by the Workers' Party (WPK), the favored instrument of Soviet control. So it was no surprise when the elections recorded a crushing victory for the WPK. The Soviets installed Kim Il-Sung as president, creating a political dynasty that exists to this day. By 1950, then, on the eve of the Korean War, there was a democratic republic in the South and a Communist dictatorship in the North.
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