I don't think this should be downvoted. I don't know anything about the post-war history of Korea, but your comment led me to look it up, and according to Wikipedia, between 1948 and 1987, South Korea was ruled by a succession of corrupt authoritarian elected governments and military dictatorships.

Not a great triumph of America's professed values, but consistent with America's actual support for anti-communist dictators around the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Republic_of_Korea