other · Korea and Japan

Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea

1919 CE – 1948 CE · capital Shanghai, later Chongqing

The Korean government-in-exile founded in Shanghai after the March First Movement of 1919, which kept the cause of independence alive until 1945.

Origins

In the wake of the March First Movement, independence activists met in Shanghai's French Concession and in April 1919 proclaimed the Republic of Korea with a provisional constitution and assembly. Rival groups in Seoul and Vladivostok merged with it later that year, and Syngman Rhee was chosen as president.

Rule and society

The government drew funds from Koreans abroad and ran diplomacy and propaganda, but it was weakened by factional disputes; Rhee was impeached in 1925. Under Kim Gu it organised attacks on Japanese leaders, including Yun Bong-gil's bombing in Shanghai in 1932, then moved through several Chinese cities before settling in Chongqing in 1940, where it formed the Korean Liberation Army and declared war on Japan in 1941.

Decline and legacy

The Allies never recognised it, and its leaders returned to Korea in late 1945 only as private individuals. The Republic of Korea's constitution claims descent from it, and it ceased to exist when that state was founded in 1948.

Connections (1)

  • Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was a protectorate of Republic of China1932 CE – 1945 CE

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻