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On August 15, 1945, at noon, the Japanese “Showa Tenno” surrender speech announced the long-dreamed liberation of the Korean people. After 36 years of colonial rule under Japanese occupation, the Korean people were finally able to achieve liberation and independence.
It was the culmination of international commitments made by the Allies in the Cairo Declaration of 1943, the long struggle of our people, and the defeat of Japan.
Immediately after liberation, the “Preparatory Committee for National Reconstruction,” led by Yeo Un-hyung and Ahn Jae-hong, was organized, and thousands of prisoners of war and political prisoners were released from prison amidst public cheers.
Political activities began in all walks of life in the newly liberated country, and preparations for the establishment of a new nation began in earnest amidst the chaos of many political parties and social organizations. However, there was a lack of centripetal force to unify and guide this chaos, resulting in the proliferation of political organizations.
In this situation, the nationalists, with an eye toward party politics, established the “Korean Nationalist Party” led by Ahn Jae-hong and the “Korean Democratic Party” led by Song Jin-woo and Kim Sung-soo. The leftists, including Yeo Un-hyung and Park Hyun-young, declared a political organization called the “People’s Republic of Korea” to maintain the vested interests of the “Preparatory Committee for the Founding of the Republic.”
Just as there were divisions and confrontations between the left and right forces during the independence struggle abroad, these divisions and confrontations were reproduced in Korea after the liberation.
Background of the Jeong-eup Declaration
In the midst of this chaotic situation, an important decision on the Korean Peninsula was made in December 1945 at a trilateral meeting of the U.S.-British-Soviet foreign ministers in Moscow.
At this meeting, it was decided that “the military commanders of the United States and the Soviet Union will hold talks within two weeks to establish a joint commission to assist in the establishment of a provisional democratic government in Korea. It was then announced that a trusteeship by the four countries, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and China, would be implemented for a period of up to five years.
The news of the trusteeship turned the joy of liberation into anger and sadness, and a “National Mobilization Committee” was established to oppose the trusteeship, led by Rhee Syng-man, Kim Gu, Song Jin-woo, and others.
After a complex tug-of-war between the U.S. and Soviet Union, the first “U.S.-Soviet Joint Committee” was held on March 20, 1946, in the stone hall of Deoksugung Palace. However, the meeting remained stagnant, with tedious neuroses and negotiations yielding no clear results.
During this time, Rhee Syng-man , who was emerging as the top leader of South Korea, issued the historic Jeong-eup Declaration in the face of strong local leftist forces.
With the support of the U.S. military government and the cooperation of the “National Assembly for the Promotion of Independence,” Rhee Syng-man began a speaking tour of the south on April 16th.
His first speech was in Cheonan, where he called on us to recognize that we had been liberated by the power of the Allies and to prove that we were a nation capable of independence by forming a united front. His message was to achieve independence and build a democratic nation that enjoyed freedom and autonomy.
However, after traveling through Chungcheong and Gyeongsang provinces and passing through Mokpo, Jeolla Province, Rhee Syng-man learned that the U.S.-Soviet Joint Committee had been indefinitely adjourned, so he interrupted his speech and hurriedly returned home.
Later, at a meeting of the Democratic Assembly, Rhee Syng-man expressed his strong regret at the news of the indefinite suspension of the U.S.-Soviet Joint Committee, noting that it confirmed the unified national aspirations of his countrymen.
On May 12, 1946, the National Right’s “National Convention for the Preparation of Independence” at Seoul Stadium drew a crowd of more than 100,000 people to hear speeches opposing trusteeship and calling for independence.
At this event, Kim Kyu-sik, the acting chairman of the Nationalist Party, declared that we could no longer count on U.S.-Soviet cooperation and that we should establish a government with our own hands.
Rhee Syng-man and the Jeong-eup Declaration
At this point, Rhee Syng-man strongly hoped to establish a “provisional unification government” based on population proportionality through a compromise between the U.S.-Soviet alliance, but the Soviet communization of Poland in Eastern Europe and the establishment of a communist regime in North Korea forced him to look for new options.
Rhee Syng-man’s answer was the “Plan for the Establishment of a Sole Government in South Korea,” which he announced on June 3, 1946, at Dong Elementary School in Jeong-eup. Syngman Rhee argued that since the “U.S.-Soviet Joint Committee” had been suspended indefinitely, a unified government could not be expected, and that South Korea alone should organize a temporary government or committee to urge the Soviet Union to withdraw.
With this declaration, Rhee Syng-man sought to establish a democratic government in the South in response to the establishment of a communist regime in the North. He had already been criticized by independence activists in the United States for submitting a proposal for mandate rule in Korea to the League of Nations, and had been impeached as president in Shanghai.
Fearing the risk of the Korean peninsula becoming communized like Poland, Rhee Syng-man decided to take the next best thing and declared the establishment of a sole government in the South.
Rhee Syng-man chose to announce this declaration in Jeong-eup because it was a region with an important history of transformation in Korea’s modern history.
Jeong-eup was the site of many historical events, including the “Donghak Peasant Revolution,” the “Anti-Japanese Patriotic Movement,” and the “Bocheongyo Ethno-religious Movement,” and Rhee Syng-man declared the establishment of a sole South Korean government here, considering the symbolism and historical significance of the area.
Jeong-eup speech
Now that we see no sign of resumption of the indefinitely adjourned session, and we look forward to a unified government, but it is not forthcoming, we must organize a provisional government or committee in the South alone to appeal to the world public opinion for the withdrawal of the Soviet Union from the 38th parallel.
You should also make up your minds.Also, since we have been making efforts to establish a national unification agency, but this time we will immediately establish a representative unification agency of our people after hearing the news, I hope that each province will obey the central instructions and organize their activities.
The meaning of Rhee Syng-man’s “Jeong-eup Declaration”
The “Jeong-eup Declaration” played an important role in the founding of the Republic of Korea as a way to establish a democratic government in the South in response to the establishment of a communist regime in North Korea. Rather than a declaration that plotted the division of the Korean Peninsula, the declaration can be viewed as a declaration that allowed South Korea to choose a democratic system in response to the communization of North Korea.
Rhee Syng-man’s Jeong-eup Declaration paved the way for the founding of the Republic of Korea, and was instrumental in the country’s subsequent choice of a democratic system based on freedom, human rights, and creativity. Today, South Korea has grown to become one of the world’s top 10 economies and is beloved around the world for its Hallyu culture.
The Jeong-eup Declaration ensured that Korea’s humble beginnings would eventually become one of the most prosperous and beloved countries in the world.
This is due to the dedication and sacrifices of the founding generation, including Rhee Syng-man, and should be recognized as a significant historical event that has enabled us to pass on a democratic Korea that we are proud to call home.
