Why did South Korea not sign the Korean Armistice Agreement?

South Korean President Syngman Rhee strongly opposed the Korean Armistice Agreement because he refused to accept a settlement that left the Korean peninsula divided. Rhee advocated for the continuation of military hostilities to achieve the unification of North and South Korea under a single government.12

In defiance of the United Nations, Rhee attempted to disrupt the truce negotiations by unilaterally releasing thousands of anticommunist North Korean prisoners who were slated for repatriation. Although Rhee eventually agreed to support the armistice to secure a mutual-security pact and economic aid from the United States, he maintained his stance by refusing to formally sign the document. Consequently, while the agreement was signed by representatives of the United Nations Command, China, and North Korea on July 27, 1953, the South Korean government never became a formal signatory, leaving the state of peace between the North and South fragile.1234