Republic of Korea

Monarchy, Colonial Rule, and a Divided Liberation

The republic’s diplomacy has antecedents in the Joseon monarchy and Korean Empire, whose Washington legation defended the right to conduct relations independently. In an 1887 memorial, the Korean king sought Qing approval to send envoys while also asserting authority over foreign affairs. Japan later extinguished that diplomatic independence. After Japanese rule ended in 1945, Soviet and American occupation zones developed into rival Korean governments. [6] [7] [8]

A Republic's Mission in Washington

The Republic of Korea established diplomatic relations with the United States on March 25, 1949, when Chang Myon presented his credentials to President Harry Truman. American recognition preceded that step, on January 1. This embassy represented the republic established at Seoul after the end of Japanese colonial rule. Its first permanent Washington premises were purchased at 2320 Massachusetts Avenue in July 1949. [1] [2]

Chang's access to the White House became urgent during the opening days of the Korean War. On June 26, 1950, he brought Truman a resolution from the Korean parliament requesting immediate assistance. President Syngman Rhee had repeatedly telephoned him about shortages of tanks, artillery, and aircraft. Truman said that he had instructed General Douglas MacArthur to supply equipment that Korean forces were trained to use; Chang pressed the distinction between the soldiers' willingness to fight and their lack of weapons. [3]

An armistice ended the major fighting in 1953 without reunifying the peninsula. The United States and South Korea signed a mutual defence treaty on 1 October that year; it entered into force on 17 November 1954. The treaty provided for joint consultation, action against external attack through each country’s constitutional processes, and the stationing of American forces by mutual agreement. [7] [10]

Embassy Premises and a Recovered Legation

The embassy occupied 2730 Massachusetts Avenue from 1973 to 1992, a building subsequently used by the Korean Cultural Center. Korea purchased the Canadian embassy property at 2450 Massachusetts Avenue in May 1990 for its next chancery. The earlier move to a separate ambassador's residence on Glenbrook Road had already distinguished the mission's residential and official accommodation. [2]

The republic also recovered a much older Korean diplomatic landmark. In October 2012, Korean heritage institutions purchased the former royal legation near Logan Circle, which had operated from 1889 until Japan deprived Korea of diplomatic independence in 1905. After restoration, the building opened to visitors in May 2018. Its reconstructed reception and working rooms recall the missions of King Gojong and the Korean Empire, while the embassy on Massachusetts Avenue serves the present republic. [4] [5]

Authoritarian and Democratic Governments

For most of the republic’s first four decades, authoritarian leaders governed South Korea; the constitutional reforms and elections of 1987 opened a democratic era. A bilateral free trade agreement took effect in 2012. [9]

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• South Korea and the United States