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After the defeat of Japan in World War II, the Korean peninsula was occupied by the Soviet Union in the North and the United States in the South. The dividing line was the 38th parallel.
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- August 15, 1945 - Japan surrenders in World War II, end of Korea under Japanese rule
- August 22, 1945 - Soviet Union enters Pyongyang
- September 8, 1945 - United States enters Seoul
- 1946 - US-USSR Joint-Commission on the formation of a Korean Government is dissolved
- 1947 - The United Nations establishes the UN Temporary Commission on Korea
- May 10, 1948 - UN sponsored elections are held in South Korea.
- August 15, 1948 - South Korea established
- September 9, 1948 - North Korea established
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Establishment of South Korea
The South Korean history begins with the division of the Korean Peninsula in 1945. A civilian government was established in 1948, beginning the First Republic. Syngman Rhee became the first President of South Korea.
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Establishment of North Korea
North Korea was proclaimed on September 11, 1948, under supervision by the occupying Soviet forces. The Soviets preferred placing in power Korean Communists who had spent the war years in the Soviet Union, rather than the Korean Communist Party. Kim Il-sung was named the head of the North Korean Provisional People's Committee in February 1946. Kim then became Prime Minister, a post which he held until 1972, before becoming President.
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~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea-South_Korea_relations