Who controlled south korea following world war ii? a. the united states b. the united nations c. japan d. china

The answer is Japan. The division of Korea amongst North and South Korea was the aftereffect of the Allied triumph in World War II in 1945, finishing the Empire of Japan's 35-year run of Korea. The United States and the Soviet Union possessed the nation, with the limit between their zones of control along the 38th parallel.

Korea was under Japan's rule. Basically, Korea was under Japanese rule, from the beginning of the Joseon dynastic monarchy in Korea in 1910 and ended at the conclusion of World War II in 1945, when American and Soviet forces captured the peninsula. Therefore the correct answer to your question is C.