''Yi Seungman gwa Gim Gu'' (), name translatable as ''Syngman Rhee and Kim Ku'', is a Korean-language biography by South Korean politician and journalist Son Se-il. It covers two major figures in modern Korean history: the first president of South Korea

Syngman Rhee Syngman Rhee (; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965), also known by his art name Unam (), was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisiona ...

and independence activist

Kim Ku Kim Ku (; August 29, 1876 – June 26, 1949), also known by his art name Paekpŏm, was a Korean independence activist and statesman. He was a leader of the Korean independence movement against the Empire of Japan, head of the Provisional Gove ...

. It was first published serially in the ''

Monthly Chosun The ''Monthly Chosun'' () is a monthly Korean-language magazine published in South Korea. , it is owned by Chosun News Press, which in turn is owned by ChosunMedia. ChosunMedia also owns the ''Chosun Ilbo'' newspaper. Description It prima ...

'' magazine from August 2001 to July 2013 in 111 installments. Son took two breaks in the middle of publication in order to conduct more research. In July 2015, the publications were recompiled into a 7 volume book set.

Description

Son is a South Korean former politician and journalist, who published what has retroactively been seen as a predecessor to the biography in 1970: a one-volume book under the same title. As the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

ended in the 1990s, Son witnessed more information about both figures being declassified and published. He reportedly felt that he should cover the new information and research, and decided to write this biography. The biography is considered to be extensive and exhaustive, and covers numerous events, publications, and letters relevant to the lives of both figures. The biography is structured chronologically and in parallel, with information about both figures interwoven in each volume. It includes significant discussion of relevant geopolitical conditions, and often compares and contrasts the reactions of each of its subjects to various events. The biography ends at the year 1950; after Kim Ku's assassination. The biography sometimes takes positions that have historically have been considered unflattering to both figures. Son said of them: Each of its seven volumes contains around 800 pages; a writer for ''

The Chosun Ilbo ''The Chosun Ilbo'' (, ), also known as ''The Chosun Daily,'' is a Korean-language newspaper of record for South Korea and among the oldest active newspapers in the country. With a daily circulation of more than 1,800,000, ''The'' ''Chosun Ilbo ...

'' noted that if one read 100 pages of the biography every day, it would take around two months to complete it. Part 1, consisting of volumes 1 and 2, covers events prior to the 1919

March First Movement The March First Movement was a series of protests against Korea under Japanese rule, Japanese colonial rule that was held throughout Korea and internationally by the Korean diaspora beginning on March 1, 1919. Protests were largely concentrated in ...

. Part 2 (vol. 3 and 4) covers the events of 1919 to 1945. Part 3 (vol. 6 and 7) covers 1945 to 1950. , the original serially published version of the biography is available on the ''Monthly Chosun'' website for free reading. The published biography is reportedly significantly revised and improved from the original serial publication.

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{{reflist 2015 books Korean books Biographies about politicians Syngman Rhee Kim Ku The Chosun Ilbo

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