A Concise History of Modern Korea: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present

by Michael J. Seth

This comprehensive and balanced history of modern Korea explores the social, economic, and 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 and ethnically homogeneous society first fell victim to Japanese imperialist expansionism, and then was arbitrarily divided in half after World War II. Seth traces the postwar paths of the two Koreas_with different political and social systems and 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, and a cosmopolitan and dynamic culture. By contrast, North Korea became one of the world's most totalitarian and isolated societies, a nuclear power with an impoverished and famine-stricken population. Considering the radically different and 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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Research

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2009

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good standard textbook. Only significant problem is the complete lack of maps and illustrations. That, combined with the condensed writing style, will make this a tough sell to most undergraduate students.

[Narantsogt Baatarkhuu · Rating 4 out of 5]

According to this book, this is how South Korea became the leading economy in the world:

- The Japanese colonization was not as aggressive and deleterious as we thought. If anything, it helped industrialize Korea. The Japanese built a railway that covered the quarter of Korean landmass, and posted Korea as the military supply base during the occupation of Manchuria. Also, there always existed different factions of Koreans that supported different neighbors, including pro-China, pro-Russia, and pro-Japan; the last group was responsible for signing the Annexation Agreement.
- Koreans value education greatly. An apocryphal tale goes that a farmer had to sell his only ox to pay for his child's school tuition. Also, Koreans expatriating to Japan, and the U.S., facilitated by missionaries, started all the way back in 1880s. This led to pockets of educated Koreans forming societies and clubs, enlightening the public through newspaper publications and so on.
- Park Chun Hee is largely attributed to be the lynchpin of the Miracle of the Han River. His most effective decision was to build factories of five modern technologies like petrochemical, electronics, shipbuilding, and so on, near his hometown.

[Fabrizio Lazarde · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5 stars rounded to 5.

OOF. If this is concise, I can't even picture the full story.

Despite its daunting detail, this history is a surprisingly fast-paced read. Michael Seth explains complex events with remarkable clarity, ensuring that concepts are understood as Korea's turbulent modern story advances.

While some chapters feature repetitive arguments, which is a minor annoyance, the book succeeds brilliantly as an introduction. It demystifies how a Hermit Kingdom transformed, through war and dictatorship, into the dynamic, divided nation we see today.

It’s a dense but essential foundation for anyone seeking to understand modern Korea.

[Taylor Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

As was the first volume, this one too proves entertaining, thorough, and riddled with grammatical errors. Korea’s is a fascinating history for many reasons, not the least of which is the unique, tense situation that today defines it. The study of Korea is a rich and enlightening one, as relevant for the politically-minded as it is for the historian of East Asia.

[Lyndon Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for understanding modern Korea, its relation to Asia, Russia, and the United States, and how the country was eventually split into North and South Korea. If you want to know how Korea became the way that it is, this is a great book.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice review

[Quincy Koetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice overview of the history of the Korean Peninsula in the last 120+ years.
Insightful about the societal underpinnings heading into the 20th century.

[Kendra Drischler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This overview of recent Korean history is clear and engagingly written, but the content is undermined by some very poor proofreading.