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Japanese rule ended in 1945.
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The Korean peninsula first divided along the 38th parallel, later along the demarcation line. The division of Korea into South Korea and North Korea was the result of the 1945 Allied victory in World War II,
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Syngman Rhee, as head of the new assembly, assumed the presidency and proclaimed the Republic of Korea (South Korea) on August 15, 1948.
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120 Japanese citizens served in Korea in US uniforms
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In 1950 the Korea Peninsula was divided between a Soviet-backed government in the north and an American-backed government in the south.
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100,000 British troops fought in Korea
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In October 1950, Chinese forces crossed the Yalu and entered the war.
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The May 16 coup, led by Major General Park Chung-hee on May 16, 1961, put an effective end to the Second Republic. Park was one of a group of military leaders who had been pushing for the de-politicization of the military. Dissatisfied with the cleanup measures undertaken by the Second Republic and convinced that the current disoriented state would collapse into communism, they chose to take matters into their own hands
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Park's administration started the Third Republic by announcing the Five Year Economic development Plan, an export-oriented industrialization policy. Top priority was placed on the growth of a self-reliant economy and modernization; "Development First, Unification Later" became the slogan of the times and the economy grew rapidly with vast improvement in industrial structure, especially in the basic and heavy chemical industries. Capital was needed for such development, so the Park regime
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The Fourth Republic began with the adoption of the Yushin Constitution on November 21, 1972. This new constitution gave Park effective control over the parliament and the possibility of permanent presidency. The president would be elected through indirect election by an elected body, and the term of presidency was extended to six years with no restrictions on reappointment. The legislature and judiciary were controlled by the government, and educational guidelines was under direct surveillance.
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After the assassination of Park Chung-hee, prime minister Choi Kyu-hah took the president's role only to be usurped 6 days later by Major General Chun Doo-hwan's 1979 Coup d'état of December Twelfth. In May of the following year, a vocal civil society composed primarily of university students and labor unions led strong protests against authoritarian rule all over the country. Chun Doo-hwan declared martial law on May 17, 1980, and protests escalated.
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Roh was officially inaugurated in February 1988. The government set out to eliminate past vestiges of authoritarian rule, by revising laws and decrees to fit democratic provisions. Freedom of the press was expanded, university autonomy recognised, and restrictions on overseas travels were lifted. However, the growth of the economy had slowed down compared to the 80s, with strong labor unions and higher wages reducing the competitiveness of Korean products on the international market, resulti
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South Korea is Mexico’s sixth largest trading partner, but the two countries do not have a trade agreement. South Korea would like to change that, says its foreign relations ministry, by reopening trade talks.
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Park Geun-hye was inaugurated in February 2013. She is the eleventh and current President of South Korea. She is the first woman to be elected as the South Korean president and is serving the 18th presidential term. She also is the first woman head of state in the modern history of Northeast Asia
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Iraq and South Korea will sign an initial agreement for comprehensive cooperation in energy matters covering oil, gas and electricity, which will include a shipment of strategic oil reserves to the Asian country.
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Last month, Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission slapped a US$350,000 fine on South Korea’s Samsung after the company was found to have paid students to write disparaging comments online about Taiwanese phone-maker HTC.
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On Friday, Venezuela’s “anti-imperialist” foreign policy saw another significant development: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs authorized the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPKR), also known as North Korea, to reopen their embassy in Venezuela
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South Korea’s government-run trade insurer said Tuesday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding to set up a formal credit line and payment guarantee arrangement with Cuba that will allow South Korean companies to trade with Havana
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The leaders of Saudi Arabia and South Korea agreed to cooperate to build more than two small and medium-size nuclear reactors in projects worth as much as $2 billion,
