United States Army Military Government in Korea
1945–1948 U.S.-occupied southern Korea / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about United States Army Military Government in Korea?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The United States Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) was the official ruling body of the Southern half of the Korean Peninsula from 8 September 1945 to 15 August 1948.
United States Army Military Government in Korea | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1945–1948 | |||||||||||||
Anthem: "The Star-Spangled Banner" (de jure) | |||||||||||||
Status | Military occupational transitional government | ||||||||||||
Capital and largest city | Seoul | ||||||||||||
Official languages | Korean, English | ||||||||||||
US commander-in-chief | |||||||||||||
• 1945–1948 | John R. Hodge | ||||||||||||
US military governor | |||||||||||||
• 1945 | Archibald V. Arnold | ||||||||||||
• 1945–1947 | Archer L. Lerch | ||||||||||||
• 1947–1948 | William F. Dean | ||||||||||||
• 1948–1949 | Charles G. Helmick | ||||||||||||
Chairman of assembly | |||||||||||||
• 1946–1948 | Kim Kyu-sik | ||||||||||||
• 1948 | Syngman Rhee | ||||||||||||
Historical era | Cold War | ||||||||||||
15 August 1945 | |||||||||||||
• United States troops stationed | 8 September 1945 | ||||||||||||
1 October 1946 | |||||||||||||
10 May 1948 | |||||||||||||
17 July 1948 | |||||||||||||
15 August 1948 | |||||||||||||
Currency | Won, "A yen" scrip, United States dollar | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Today part of | South Korea North Korea |
United States Army Military Government in Korea | |
Hangul | 재조선미국육군사령부군정청 |
---|---|
Hanja | 在朝鮮美國陸軍司令部軍政廳 |
Revised Romanization | Jaejoseon Miyuk-gun Saryeongbu Gunjeongcheong |
McCune–Reischauer | Chaejosŏn Miyuk-gun Saryŏngbu Kunjŏngch'ŏng |
The country during this period was plagued with political and economic chaos, which arose from a variety of causes.[1] The after-effects of the Japanese occupation were still being felt in the occupation zone, as well as in the Soviet zone in the North.[2] Popular discontent stemmed from the United States' military government's support of the Japanese colonial government; then once removed, keeping the former Japanese governors on as advisors; by ignoring, censoring and forcibly disbanding the functional and popular People's Republic of Korea (PRK); and finally by supporting United Nations elections that divided the country. The U.S. administration refused to recognize the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, despite the South Korean government considering it their predecessor since 1987.[3][4]
In addition, the U.S. military was largely unprepared for the challenge of administering the country, arriving with no knowledge of the language or political situation.[5] Thus, many of their policies had unintended destabilizing effects. Waves of refugees from North Korea (estimated at 400,000)[6] and returnees from abroad caused further turmoil.[7]