Va-PoReg Country Report Korea 1900–2025

The Great Korean (Taehan) Empire was proclaimed on 10/12/1897, when King Gojong assumed the title of Emperor. This Korean monarchy was the first to openly assert its status as an empire, a prerogative previously exclusive to the Chinese ruler in the pre-modern Sinocentric world order (Kwon 2021). Based on our observations, no multiparty executive or legislative elections were held during this period, which aligns with the observations of LIED. Moreover, both LIED and V-Dem’s PCLI indicate that political liberties were absent in this period. According to Polity5, during this period, the executive was subordinate to or held equal power with other institutions, indicating executive parity or subordination. For the relevant regime period, V-Dem’s JCE is interpreted by us as indicating that judicial constraints on the executive were absent, and V-Dem’s LCE is similarly interpreted as indicating that legislative constraints on the executive were also absent.

Japan declared the Great Korean Empire a Japanese protectorate in 1905 and ruled the country indirectly through the Japanese Resident-General of Korea (Kim 2009).¹ The protectorate agreement was based on the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905 that resulted from the Russia-Japanese War in 1905 in which the Japanese government had clear geopolitical ambitions and sought to formalize its sphere of influence over the Korean Peninsula towards other powers such as Russia (Kim 2009). The Treaty deprived Korea of its diplomatic sovereignty and was rejected by the Korean Emperor.² This period is coded as a colony as it seems that the treaty was unilaterally concluded by Japan without the Korean Emperors consent. On 07/24/1907 the Korean Emperor abdicated in 1907 following a series of disputes with the Japanese, who saw the protectorate treaty violated and appointed the Crown Prince Sunjong as regent.³ On 07/24/1907, Korea signed a new treaty with Japan by which all the prerogatives on internal affairs were legally surrendered into the hands of the Resident-General“ (Kim 2009). On 08/22/1910 Japan officially annexed the Korean Empire by Japan-Korea Treaty of 1910. However, the start of colonial rule is coded here for 07/24/1907 and not for 08/22/1910 because already in 1907, the Japanese established de-facto hegemony over Korean domestic politics while annexation was de-jure effective in 1910. This led to an era of military dictatorship under colonial rule in Korea, which endured until 1945 (Kim 2009). Based on our observations, no multiparty executive or legislative elections were held during this period, which aligns with the observations of LIED. Both LIED and V-Dem’s PCLI classify political liberties as absent. Until 1910, according to Polity5, during this period, the executive was subordinate to or held equal power with other institutions, indicating executive parity or subordination. For the relevant regime period, V-Dem’s JCE is interpreted by us as indicating that judicial constraints on the executive were absent, and V-Dem’s LCE is similarly interpreted as indicating that legislative constraints on the executive were also absent until 1920, after which V-Dem indicates no value, as no parliament exists, and thus no legislative constraints on the executive are possible.

Following the conclusion of World War II and the withdrawal of Japanese forces from forces from the Asia-Pacific region, the USA and USSR reached an agreement to temporarily partition Korea and oversee the removal of Japanese troops, who had been controlling Korea since 1910. Korea was then divided along the 38th parallel with the USSR occupying the north and the USA occupying the south, which is why Korea is handled in two separate regimes from this point on.⁴ The date 09/06/1945 marks the proclamation of the People’s Republic of Korea, the transitional regime occupying North Korea, and on 09/07/1945 the United States Army Military Government in Korea was established, occupying South Korea.

For the time after 09/06[&07]/1945, see Korea, North and Korea, South.