Editing Syngman Rhee (section)

=== Post-war economic challenges ===
At the time of its creation in 1948, South Korea was among the poorest countries in the world. Twelve years later, in 1960, it held this position with a per capita income similar to that of [[Haiti]]. Although South Korea was predominantly an agricultural society that had experienced some industrialization during the Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, mainly in the northern provinces, it faced significant challenges.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Seth |first=Michael J. |date=19 December 2017 |title=South Korea's Economic Development, 1948–1996 |url=https://oxfordre.com/asianhistory/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277727.001.0001/acrefore-9780190277727-e-271 |journal=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History|doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780190277727.013.271 |isbn=978-0-19-027772-7 }}</ref>

The [[division of Korea]] in 1945 by the [[Soviet Union]] and the United States resulted in the creation of two states: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the north and the Republic of Korea in the south. The DPRK inherited most of the industry, mining, and more than 80% of electricity generation. In contrast, the ROK owned the majority of productive agricultural areas, but these were barely enough to feed a densely populated and rapidly growing population.<ref name=":2" />

The period after the war was marked by a very slow recovery, despite South Korea being one of the largest per capita recipients of [[Aid|foreign aid]].<ref name=":2" /> The lack of central planning, minimal investment in infrastructure, poor use of aid funds, government corruption, political instability, and the threat of renewed war with the North made the country very unattractive to both domestic and foreign investors. Additionally, the fear of recreating a [[Colonialism|colonial]] dependence on Japan prevented Seoul from opening the country to trade and investment with its prosperous neighbor.<ref name=":2" />