Stone Mirror: Reflections on Contemporary Korea

by David I. Steinberg

The transformation of the Republic of Korea from an impoverished state to a leading industrialized nation has been spectacular, but it has also masked the continuities of Korean society and culture. For more than four decades, David I. Steinberg has been observing Korea and is uniquely qualified to write on the evolution of modern Korea. As the resident representative of The Asia Foundation in 1963–68 and then again in 1994–98, he has been a participant in and close observer of the Korean scene. His trenchant comments on a broad spectrum of Korean life and mores illuminate many aspects of Korean society most often ignored in both the academic and popular literature. The short essays selected for this volume come from the over 230 columns he has published in the Korea Times since 1995. They present a series of vignettes on the cultural, socioeconomic, and political life of Korea today. Trained first in Chinese studies and then in Southeast Asian history, Steinberg has lived in a variety of Asian countries over the past 17 years. He brings to this book a comparative focus that provides deeper perspective on Korean affairs. Because he personally experienced Korea at both an early stage of its growth and a much later period, he is able to report changes in the society in a manner that few other foreigners have been able to do.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

David I. Steinberg was an American historian and U.S. Foreign Service officer. As of 2023, he held the title of Distinguished Professor of Asian Studies Emeritus at Georgetown University. David Steinberg specialised in Myanmar, the Korean Peninsula, Southeast Asia, and U.S. policy in Asia.

Steinberg was a prolific author with 14 books and over 150 articles and book chapters to his name, in addition to approximately 300 op-eds. He received degrees from Dartmouth College, Lingnan University, Harvard University, and the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

As a member of the Senior Foreign Service at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) within the Department of State, Steinberg served as the Director for Technical Assistance in Asia and the Middle East. He also held the position of Director for Philippines, Thailand, and Burma Affairs. During his time with USAID, he spent three years in Thailand at the Regional Development Office. Prior to his tenure at Georgetown, he held positions as a Representative of the Asia Foundation in Korea, Hong Kong, Burma, and Washington, D.C. Additionally, he served as the Distinguished Professor of Korean Studies at Georgetown University and as the President of the Mansfield Center for Pacific Affairs.