Syngman Rhee and General Douglas MacArthur, 1948. Syngman Rhee (1875 愺 1965) 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 Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea from 1919 to his impeachment in 1925 and from 1947 to 1948. Douglas MacArthur (26 January 1880 愺 5 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a Field Marshal to the Philippine Army.