Lee In-su, the adopted son of the ROK’s first president, Syngman Rhee, expressed remorse for the repression of the April Revolution of 1960 and apologized to the victims of state violence. While this move from Lee mirrors similar recent apologies from descendants of other former leaders, the sincerity of his gesture is under scrutiny. 

Rhee’s legacy remains controversial in South Korea. His presidency met its abrupt end following the April Revolution, an uprising instigated by electoral fraud and other autocratic measures. The official death toll from the revolution stands at 186, with a majority being college students who spearheaded the movement.