Total vote share of Syngman Rhee in South Korean presidential elections from 1948 to 1960

Syngman Rhee (1875-1965) served as the first president of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) from 1948 until 1960. From 1950 to 1953, South Korea was involved in the Korean War, one of the most significant conflicts of the Cold War. The United States and a wider UN military force came to the assistance of Rhee's South Korean military, while the communist forces of North Korea were supported by the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China. Rhee's rule in South Korea was marked by his militant anti-communism, authoritarian measures, and support from the United States. International observers have generally classified the elections in which Rhee was elected to neither be free nor fair.