Was Syngman Rhee a pro-Japanese collaborator or a nationalist shaped by Joseon values? To understand him, we must first understand the world he came from.👇
1. Syngman Rhee’s Background and Value System
To evaluate Syngman Rhee, Korea’s first president, we must move beyond binary labels like “pro-Japanese” or “founding father.” Born in 1875, Rhee was raised as a subject of Joseon, educated in Confucian classics at a traditional *seodang* school—completely different from modern education.
His worldview was shaped not by nationalism or democracy as we know it, but by centuries-old Joseon ethics. Like how today's generation masters smartphones, Rhee mastered calligraphy, *Sohak*, and the *Four Books and Five Classics*. This cultural imprint never left him.
1.1 Rhee’s Education and Cultural Identity
Rhee was born before the fall of Joseon and the rise of modern Korea. His goal in youth was to pass the *gwageo* civil service exams—abolished in 1894. With that dream gone, he pivoted to modern education, attending Baejae Hakdang, Korea’s first Western-style school.
Despite his proficiency in English and Western diplomacy, his foundational identity remained Joseon-born. This explains why his leadership style often resembled that of a Confucian monarch more than a democratic leader.
1.2 The Naming of Lake Paroho
One revealing example of Rhee’s Joseon mindset came during the Korean War. After defeating Chinese troops at Hwacheon Lake, Rhee renamed it *Paroho* (破虜湖), meaning "Lake of Defeating the Barbarians." The character "虜" refers specifically to northern invaders—historically the Jurchens (later the Manchu Qing).
In Rhee’s mind, the Chinese soldiers who drowned in that lake were not modern communists but remnants of ancient barbarian tribes. His calligraphy graces the stone monument at the site, echoing the behavior of Joseon kings who would rename places to symbolize victory.
2. Comparing Rhee and Kim Il-sung
Rhee and Kim Il-sung, though political adversaries, were shaped in entirely different worlds. Kim, born in 1912, studied in Chinese modern schools in Manchuria and was molded by revolutionary ideology. Rhee, on the other hand, was a classical Joseon intellectual at his core—one who adopted modern tools but retained pre-modern values.
3. Rhee’s Dual Identity: Modern Leader with a Joseon Soul
Rhee’s actions were often misunderstood because people judged him by modern standards. He admired Western education but never saw Japan as a model. To him, the Japanese were “barbarians” to be disciplined, not partners. This explains why, despite authoritarian tendencies, he was never a collaborator in the Japanese sense.
His fierce anti-communism was also more than Cold War politics—it was a moral stance rooted in Confucian fear of social disorder. This mindset shaped how he saw enemies: not just as political threats, but as uncivilized forces needing to be subdued.
4. A Similar Case: Lee Byung-chul of Samsung
To better understand Rhee, consider Samsung’s founder Lee Byung-chul. Born around the same time as Kim Il-sung, Lee received one-on-one tutoring in Confucian texts as a child. By age ten, he had memorized the *Four Books and Five Classics* completely.
Though he later embraced modern industry, he lived a deeply Joseon-style life—consulting *I Ching*, reading *Analects*, and evaluating employees by their facial features. He even moved out of a modern Western-style house because it felt unnatural, building a traditional *hanok* instead.
In his final years, he prioritized semiconductor development, narrowing the tech gap with Japan. His favorite books? Confucian texts and Taoist classics. This paradox—Confucian roots with modern vision—was something he shared with Rhee.
5. Final Evaluation: Rhee Was Not One of Us
Modern Korean politics splits into two camps: those who idolize Rhee and those who vilify him. Both miss the point. Rhee was a dictator and committed wrongdoings—but he was also a nationalist, not a collaborator. He despised the Japanese not for their militarism alone but for their perceived barbarism.
Rhee saw the world through the eyes of a Joseon scholar: Chinese communists were still “northern savages,” and Japan was a nation of unruly invaders. He didn’t adapt to modernity fully—he merely coexisted with it. His identity, politics, and legacy must be analyzed with this core fact in mind.
