On 15 August 1948 the Republic of Korea (ROK) was officially established. Rhee Syngman became the first President of ROK. South Korea officially declared its independence from Japan in 1945 just shortly after World War II. Five years later ROK would be at war with The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which was known as The Korean War of 1950. Even though there was an armistice agreement on 27 July 1953, the war between North and South Korea is an ongoing situation till this day. After the Armistice in 1953 the country now known as the Republic of South Korea established a democratic government comprised of a judicial, legislative and executive branches, which closely resembles the government of the United States. Although …show more content…
There government branches are the Judicial, Legislative and Executive Branches. The government does differ from the United States, however due to these branches operating at mostly the national level and with less operating at a local level. The ROK carries close ties with the United States however, a difference of opinion when it comes to government policies concerning North Korea. The ROK has foreign relations with over 160 different countries to include North Korea, China, Russia and Japan. Even though there is still ongoing tensions between the North and the South, there have been many instances where the two countries have begun to lessen the tension, such as walking together during the Olympics, family reunions, and peace talks. North and South Korean tensions still rise now and again, especially after ballistic missile test fires that North Korea conducted in the past years which raises concerns of the South Korean government. Not only are there many tensions that still exist between North and South Korea there are still may tensions that exist between Japan and South Korea. The tensions between Japan and South Korea date back before the Korean War during the Japanese occupation of Korea in the atrocities that occurred during that time by Japanese soldiers. There have been fewer tensions between these two governments, however tensions do come up from time to time due to the Japanese government celebrating the lives of convicted war criminals (“Government, S. K”