A Concise History Of Modern Korea: From The Late Nineteenth Century To
The Present

Product Description

Now in a fully revised & updated edition this comprehensive & balanced history of modern Korea explores the social economic & political issues it has faced since being catapulted into the wider world at the end of the nineteenth century Placing this formerly insular society in a global context Michael J Seth describes how this ancient culturally & ethnically homogeneous society first fell victim to Japanese imperialist expansionism & then was arbitrarily divided in half after World War II Seth traces the postwar paths of the two Koreas-with different political & social systems & different geopolitical orientations-as they evolved into sharply contrasting societies South Korea after an unpromising start became one of the few postcolonial developing states to enter the ranks of the first world with a globally competitive economy a democratic political system & a cosmopolitan & dynamic culture By contrast North Korea became one of the world's most totalitarian & isolated societies a nuclear power with an impoverished & famine-stricken population Considering the radically different & historically unprecedented trajectories of the two Koreas Seth assesses the insights they offer for understanding not only modern Korea but the broader perspective of world history All readers looking for a balanced knowledgeable history will be richly rewarded with this clear & cogent book