republic · Korea and Japan

People's Republic of Korea

1945 CE – 1946 CE · capital Seoul

A government proclaimed by Korean leaders in Seoul in September 1945, after liberation from Japan, and rejected by the American occupation.

Origins

On Japan's surrender the moderate leftist Lyuh Woon-hyung formed the Committee for the Preparation of Korean Independence, which organised local committees to keep order. On 6 September 1945, two days before American troops landed, a national assembly in Seoul proclaimed the People's Republic of Korea.

Rule and society

Its cabinet named prominent figures, including Syngman Rhee as chairman, often without their consent, and leftists dominated. People's committees across the country ran local affairs, organised land and labour programmes and took over Japanese property in many areas.

Decline and legacy

The United States Army Military Government in Korea refused to recognise it, declared in October 1945 that it had no authority and later suppressed its committees in the south; it faded by early 1946. In the north, its committees were absorbed into the Soviet-backed administration.

Lineage

Korea under Japanese rule 1910 CE – 1945 CEPeople's Republic of Korea

Connections (1)

More states of Korea and Japan →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). People's Republic of Korea. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/peoples-republic-of-korea
MLA
“People's Republic of Korea.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/peoples-republic-of-korea. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “People's Republic of Korea.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/peoples-republic-of-korea.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘People's Republic of Korea’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/peoples-republic-of-korea (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻