Korea in World History : Key Issues in Asian Studies ($ 11.59 ) ( By Donald N . Clark , Co-chair , Asian Studies , Trinity University , San Antonio , Texas )
Korea in World History introduces the Korean people and the circumstances that have shaped their nation . The Republic of Korea ( South Korea ) is a world economic power . The Democratic People ’ s Republic of Korea ( North Korea ) is widely regarded as a failed socialist state and a threat to its neighbors . Koreans overseas constitute significant émigré communities that contribute to their new homelands , including the United States . The world needs to know Korea better , and this brief book makes it accessible to general readers .
One circumstance of Korea ’ s story is its location surrounded by stronger neighbors . The survival of Korean culture – language , customs , folkways , and social norms – is itself a remarkable story . In terms of East Asian history , it represents the survival of the local “ small tradition ” alongside the Chinese style “ great tradition ,” which is also an important part of Korean life . The coexistence of these two traditions in one culture is one important feature of Korea ’ s position in world history . This is a main theme of the historical chapters that covers the emergence of Korea ’ s ancient kingdoms and the development of a dynastic pattern through the end of the nineteenth century . Chapters on modern Korea present the two ordeals that the country underwent in the twentieth century : Japanese colonial rule between 1910 and 1945 , and the division of Korea into north and south following World War II .
Korea in World History argues that much of the conflict between the communist north and the democratic capitalist south is rooted in the legacy of Japanese colonial rule . Though most Koreans wanted to oust the Japanese , they did not agree on the post-independence vision for their country . Some wanted the arrangements for wealth and power within Korea to remain privately owned . Others wanted to see a social and economic revolution that would redistribute wealth and power . The Cold War fostered the two regimes that represented these opposing points of view , and the tragedy of Korea is the inability of these two visions to reconcile .
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