Post-War Corea
| Treaty of Ximonosequi |
| The Corean Client Kingdom |
| The Chinese Interregnum of Corea |
| Post-War Corea |
| Twenty-first Century Corea |
With the surrender of China in the atom-bombing of Beijing and the end of Great Oriental War, Corea was awarded independence as part of the peace settlement in 1949. By the fall a Parliament had been empaneled in Kieñseñ, and the provisional government set about establishing a new constitution. Kim Ku (白凡), was chosen by Australian forces as the Prime Minister. Try as he might to appease the rival factions within the government, the constant infighting kept him trapped in a circle of appeasement and negotiation, and little else was accomplished in his administration. There were times during his two years in office that he had to be bodily barricaded by security into his office because of some with hard feelings for his participation in King Balhaijoñ's government.
Tensions flared and subsided, but by the mid-point of 1950, it was clear that support for Kim Ku's leadership was eroding fast. By the fall, few were surprised to find him dead in his home. Most at the time claimed it was suicide, however recent investigations and scholarship suggest that it was not suicide, but rather assassination.
Kim Ilsuñ (金日成), the new leader was elected from the body of the Parliament. Coming from the ranks of the communist sympathizers, he gained broader support in the republican groups, but curried favor with the communists and ecotopians. While a constitution was established in early 1951, it was not to last, and was voted down by popular referendum in 1953. Under pressure from Quiòto, he fought to bring the monarchists into his camp, but in so doing alienated key republicans, and by the end of 1956, he was deposed in a relatively bloodless coup.
When Japan sent troops in Saisei 5 (1956) to attempt to restore order, Kim Ilsuñ was remanded to Japanese custody. The military leadership established a Provisional Government for Corea, and selected Yi Sŭñman (李承晩) from the MPs to take the reigns during the transition period. In Saisei 9 (1960), a compromise was reached between Japan and the various factions fighting in Corea to re-establish the Corean monarchy, but with the Emperor of Japan on the throne as constitutional monarch.
A Corean Parliament was established with considerable local autonomy, and limits were agreed upon for the Emperor's power in Corea. The monarchists grudgingly accepted the deal in the hopes that it would be only temporary, and that they could get the Emperor to name a Viceroy who would rule in his name. They had nearly convinced a descendant of King Sajo to accept a position, and were working on the final details with their counterparts in Quiòto to achieve their ends. Their plans were scuttled as the heir-apparent was tainted with an horrific scandal.
The republicans, meanwhile, accepted this in the hopes that the Emperor could be made into a figurehead. There was also some thought that Japanese protection was necessary to prevent falling to Russia or a revived China. And so, a marriage of convenience was formed which has grown into a close friendship between the two peoples. The Imperial government encourages respect for both Japanese and Corean culture. No conscious attempts at assimilation have been made, although, inevitably, there has been some mutual influence. No legal distinction is made between Japanese and Corean citizens of the Empire, and discrimination between Corean and Japanese is illegal. There are still some Corean separatists, but they're a small group, and not nearly as active as they once were.
