State Security and Regime Security: President Syngman Rhee and the Insecurity Dilemma in South Korea, 1953-60 (St Antony's)

230 Pages·1999·0.75 MB·English

by  Yong-Pyo Hong

State Security and
Regime Security
President Syngman Rhee and the
Insecurity Dilemma in South Korea 1953–60
Yong-Pyo Hong
STATE SECURITY AND REGIME SECURITY
ST ANTONY’S SERIES
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State Security and
Regime Security
President Syngman Rhee and the
Insecurity Dilemma in South Korea
1953–60
Yong-Pyo Hong
Research Fellow
The Korea Institute for National Unification
Seoul
in association with
ST ANTONY’SCOLLEGE, OXFORD
First published in Great Britain 2000 by
MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London
Companies and representatives throughout the world
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 0–333–71712–0
First published in the United States of America 2000 by
ST. MARTIN’S PRESS, INC.,
Scholarly and Reference Division,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010
ISBN 0–312–21766–8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hong, Yong-pyo, 1964–
State security and regime security : President Syngman Rhee and
the insecurity dilemma in South Korea, 1953–60 / Yong-pyo Hong.
p. cm. — (St. Antony’s series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0–312–21766–8 (cloth)
1. Korea (South)—Politics and government—1948–1960. 2. Rhee,
Syngman, 1875–1965. I. Title. II. Series.
DS917.8.H69 1999
951.9504'3—DC21 99–22103
CIP
©Yong-Pyo Hong 2000
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made
without written permission.
No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with
written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by
the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 0LP.
Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to
criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and
sustained forest sources.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire
Contents
List of Tables viii
List of Abbreviations ix
A Note on Romanization x
1 Introduction 1
The Purpose of the Study 1
A Conceptual Overview of Security in Developing
States 3
Methodology: The ‘Archival Data Base’ 10
2 Historical Setting: The Division of Korea, the Korean
War, and the Evolution of Syngman Rhee’s
Anti-Communist Policy 15
The Post-Liberation Process of Creating Separate
Polities in the Korean Peninsula 16
The Establishment of South Korea and Rhee’s
‘March North’ Policy 24
The Outbreak of the Korean War and Rhee’s
Opposition to an Armistice 31
The Implications of the War for Rhee’s Internal and
External Security Policies 37
3 The Ending of the Korean War and Syngman Rhee’s
Search for a US–ROK Mutual Defence Treaty,
April–August 1953 40
Rhee’s Threat of Unilateral Action and the Search for
a US Security Commitment 41
The Heightening of Rhee’s Bargaining Position:
The Release of the Anti-Communist POWs 48
The Signing of the Mutual Defence Treaty 52
Conclusion 56
v
vi Contents
4 The Post-Armistice Security Policy of Syngman Rhee:
The Strengthening of ROK Forces, September 1953–
November 1954 59
Rhee’s Attempt to Consolidate His Domestic Position 60
Strengthening ROK Forces and Participating in the
Political Conference 63
Rhee’s Visit to America and the Finalizing of the US
Security Commitments in Korea 71
Conclusion 79
5 Internal and External Challenges to the Rhee Regime
and Rhee’s Growing Concern for Regime Security,
November 1954–May 1956 82
Internal Difficulties: The Legitimacy Crisis and the
Strengthened Opposition 83
External Pressure: The Possibility of Peaceful
Coexistence 87
Rhee’s Reactions to Internal and External Challenges 89
Conclusion 100
6 The Primacy of Regime Security and the Vulnerability
of State Security, May 1956–November 1958 102
Internal Instability and the Intensification of Repressive
Rule 103
The Decrease in Support for Rhee’s Militant Policies 108
The Communist Peace Offensive 115
Conclusion 121
7 The Domestic Use of State Security and the Collapse
of the Rhee Regime, December 1958–April 1960 123
The Weakening of Rhee’s Control over Political
Affairs 124
The Externalization of Internal Threats and the
Justification of Repressive Rule 126
The Downfall of the Rhee Regime 138
Conclusion 141
8 Conclusion: The Insecurity Dilemma in South Korea 144
Contents vii
Notes and References 155
Bibliography 199
Index 211
List of Tables
5.1 Comparison of Rhee’s references to military unification
in public speeches between 1954 and 1955 90
6.1 Composition of government expenditure, South Korea 110
6.2 Comparison of average growth rate between North and
South Korea, 1953–60 117
viii
List of Abbreviations
CASC Comrades’ Association to Safeguard the Constitution
CIA Central Intelligence Agency (US)
CPKI Committee for the Preparation of Korean Independence
DNP Democratic Nationalist Party
DP Democratic Party
DPRK Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
JCS Joint Chiefs of Staff (US)
KDP Korean Democratic Party
KMAG Korean Military Advisory Group
KPG Korean Provisional Government
KPR Korean People’s Republic
KWP Korean Workers’ Party
LP Liberal Party
NNITs Neutral Nations Inspection Teams
NNSC Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission
NSC National Security Council
OPI Office of Public Information
ROK Republic of Korea
UNTCOK UN Temporary Commission on Korea
USAMGIK United States Army Military Government
ix