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An Overview of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea

For 26 years, from 1919 to 1945, a government-in-exile kept the idea of an independent Korean republic alive. This overview follows how it formed, where it moved, what it did, and how it is remembered.

  1. Its establishment in Shanghai (1919)

    After the March First Movement of 1919, several provisional governments or organizing bodies appeared in Shanghai, in Seoul, and in the Russian Far East. The Shanghai body was set up in April 1919, and on 11 September 1919 the groups were merged into a single Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea based in Shanghai. Syngman Rhee, who had been chosen as prime minister in April, became president of the unified government. Shanghai's French Concession offered relatively more room for Korean activists to meet than territory fully controlled by Japan.

  2. The goals and structure of the provisional government

    The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea set independence from Japan and the establishment of a democratic republic as its goals, and established a three-branch system of separation of powers β€” a provisional legislative assembly (legislative), a state council (executive), and courts (judicial). This carries great significance as Korea's first modern government organization aiming for a republic rather than a monarchy.

  3. The Provisional Charter and early institutions

    The government adopted a Provisional Charter in April 1919, whose first article described the Republic of Korea as a democratic republic. This was a significant statement for a country that had been a monarchy until 1910. Early priorities included a liaison system to communicate with people in Korea, fundraising, publication of a newspaper, and diplomacy, including sending a delegate, Kim Kyu-sik, to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. Those efforts did not win international recognition but helped place the Korean cause before foreign audiences.

  4. Leadership disputes and the 1925 impeachment

    Disagreements over strategy, funding, and leadership weakened the provisional government in the early 1920s, and in 1925 the legislature impeached Syngman Rhee as president. Accounts differ on emphasis, with some stressing conflicts with other leaders and others stressing alleged misuse of authority. Park Eun-sik succeeded him, and the government later changed its leadership system several times, including a collective state-council arrangement and later a chairmanship held by Kim Gu from 1940.

  5. The Yi Bong-chang and Yun Bong-gil bombings

    In 1932, Yi Bong-chang threw a bomb at the Japanese emperor's procession in Tokyo, and that same year, Yun Bong-gil threw a bomb at Japanese military generals in Hongkou Park in Shanghai, killing and wounding many. Both were actions of the Korean Patriotic Corps, led by Kim Gu, and they reignited international attention on the then-stagnant provisional government and independence movement.

  6. Multiple relocations of its headquarters

    As Japanese surveillance and suppression intensified after Yun Bong-gil's bombing, the provisional government had to repeatedly relocate, leaving Shanghai and passing through Hangzhou, Zhenjiang, Changsha, Guangzhou, Liuzhou, and Qijiang before settling in Chongqing in 1940. This process illustrates just how difficult the conditions were under which the provisional government maintained its continuity.

  7. The founding of the Korean Liberation Army

    After settling in Chongqing, the provisional government established the Korean Liberation Army, a regular military force, in 1940, and joined the Allied forces in the fight against Japan. The Korean Liberation Army operated alongside British forces on the India-Burma front, and while preparing a plan to advance into Korea itself, it was unable to carry this out due to Japan's surrender in 1945.

  8. Debate over the government's succession after liberation

    The 1948 constitution referred to the March First Movement and the founding of the Republic of Korea, and the amended 1987 constitution explicitly states that the Republic continues the legitimacy (beopt'ong) of the Provisional Government. Historians still debate how far the provisional government carried out real state functions given its lack of territory, and some public debates ask whether 1919 or 1948 should be treated as the founding year. Its importance as a unifying center of the independence movement and as the origin of the democratic republican ideal is widely recognized.

  9. Declaring war on Japan in 1941

    Around December 1941, after the outbreak of the Pacific War, the provisional government formally declared war on Japan and sought recognition as an Allied participant. Practical recognition remained limited, partly because the Allies were cautious about recognizing a government without territory, but the declaration clarified its position and strengthened its ties with the Chinese government.

  10. Cooperation with the OSS: the Eagle Project

    In 1945 the Korean Liberation Army worked with the United States Office of Strategic Services on the Eagle Project, a plan to train Korean soldiers for infiltration of key cities in occupied Korea. The training had not been completed when Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, so the operation never took place. The project is often cited as evidence of preparations for a domestic campaign.

  11. Return to Korea as individuals

    After liberation, leaders of the provisional government, including Kim Gu, returned to Korea in late 1945. Because the US military government in the south did not recognize the provisional government as a governing authority, they were received as private individuals. Political divisions over trusteeship and the future of the peninsula soon limited their influence, and the Republic of Korea government was established in 1948.

A government-in-exile that carried on for 27 years

From its establishment in Shanghai in 1919 until Korea's liberation in 1945, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea continued serving as the central pillar of the independence movement for about 26 years, despite having to relocate its base multiple times. Today, the Republic of Korea government formally succeeds the provisional government's legitimacy through its constitution.

The flow of modern history after the provisional government, leading to the Korean War

The provisional government's legitimacy carried through to the establishment of the Republic of Korea government in 1948, but this also left behind the further challenge of the division of the Korean Peninsula, which led to the nation's greatest tragedy β€” war β€” in 1950. See our overview of the Korean War for the details.

Why the provisional government matters beyond military results

The provisional government never controlled Korean territory, and its armed forces were small compared with the Japanese military. Its significance lies elsewhere. It created institutions, a charter, and symbols that carried the idea of a republic through decades of colonial rule, and it gave activists scattered across China, Korea, the United States, and elsewhere a shared reference point. The wider independence movement was also far larger than the provisional government alone, including armed groups in Manchuria, labor and student movements, and many individuals who acted independently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was the first president of the provisional government?

When the unified provisional government was established in 1919, Syngman Rhee was elected as its first president. The provisional government subsequently reorganized its structure multiple times, going through various leadership systems including a premiership system and a chairmanship system.

Did the Korean Liberation Army actually take part in combat?

The Korean Liberation Army operated alongside British forces on the India-Burma front, and also prepared, together with the United States, a plan to advance into Korea. However, Japan surrendered just before the operation was to be carried out, so a full-scale advance into Korea never took place.

Why was the provisional government based in Shanghai?

Shanghai had an international and French Concession environment that gave Korean activists more room to organize than areas under direct Japanese control, and it was a hub for communication, finance, and contact with other nationalists. Later threats from Japanese surveillance and the Sino-Japanese War forced it to move.

Who was Kim Gu?

Kim Gu was a leader of the independence movement who led the Korean Patriotic Corps, which carried out the 1932 bombings associated with Yi Bong-chang and Yun Bong-gil, and later chaired the provisional government from 1940. He returned to Korea in 1945 and was assassinated in 1949.

Did any country officially recognize the provisional government?

Full formal recognition by the major Allied powers did not occur during the war, although it received support, especially financial and military, from the Chinese Nationalist government. The Cairo Declaration of 1943 mentioned that Korea would become free and independent "in due course," which was an important diplomatic statement for the independence cause.