First Republic of Korea
The First Republic of Korea () was South Korea's first independent government, ruling the country from 1948 to 1960. It succeeded USAMGIK, the United States military government, which ruled the area from 1945 to 1948. The Philippines recognized South Korea on 15 August 1948. The First Republic was established on August 15, 1948, with Syngman Rhee as the first president. Like subsequent governments, it claimed sovereignty over the entire Korean Peninsula, although it only had power over the area south of the 38th parallel. The investiture of the Rhee government followed the general election of May 10, 1948. The country's first constitution had been promulgated by the first National Assembly on July 17. It established a system with a strong president, who was elected indirectly by the National Assembly. The April Revolution in 1960 led to the resignation of Syngman Rhee and the transition to the Second Republic of South Korea.
Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army
Kim Il-sung was the first Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army upon the founding of North Korea in 1948 after he was selected to be the leader of the country. He, upon assumption of power, organized the KPA and had the Soviet Union equip it with modern weapons, tanks, planes, artillery and ships deemed unusable by the Soviets and communist China. During the Korean War, Kim Il-sung, then the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) as well as the premier of the government and KPA Supreme Commander, took care of the military operations only to be deprived of command by China in the latter stages. . After the war, he resumed command of the KPA even after his election as President of North Korea in 1972. In the 1990s, since he was aged, Kim handed over the post of Supreme Commander of the KPA as well as the chairmanship of the country's National Defence Commission that supervises military matters to his son and designated heir as the next leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-il one year before his death in 1994. The elder Kim remained as the President of North Korea, General-Secretary of WPK and Chairman of the party's Central Military Commission, a party organ propagating politics in military affairs. After Kim Il-sung's death in 1994, Kim Jong-il, being the new leader of the country and the KPA Supreme Commander, imposed a "Songun" policy that prioritized the military affairs of the country before anything else. Kim Jong-il on his death in 2011 was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-un, who replaced him as the new leader of the country and military. Kim Jong-un was publicly declared as the new Supreme Commander by the "Rodong Sinmun", on 24 December 2011 and officially appointed to the position on 30 December 2011.