Korea Reborn a Grateful Nation

by Service Productions South Korea

Korea Reborn a Grateful Nation

161 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Stephen]

Like most Americans, I have very little knowledge of the Korean War, outside of knowing Douglas MacArthur's role there. When this book appeared at the library, published by the Republic of South Korea to honor US veterans of the conflict, it seemed like a good place to start. The book is half-history, half-celebration. Its opening chapters chronicle the invasion of Korea by Japan, and the subsequent split of the country after the Soviets moved in following Japan's defeat in World War 2. Kim Il Sung, appointed by the communists to be their client boss in the north, attempted (with permission from his masters) to expand into South Korea. and nearly captured the entire peninsula before UN forces arrived. The arrival of the US military and other UN allies reversed Kim's charge, and were it not for the sudden intervention of the Chinese communists, Kim might have been put out of work altogether before his strange spawn could create a family cult around themselves. The second half of the book is more celebration than history, but shares how the South Korea economy has become a powerhouse, its democracy better rated than even the UN, and its culture an increasing influence in the west -- from K-Pop to Samsung electronics. A nation which was nearly completely destroyed in war has, through foreign aid and a free economy, become a full participant in the global community -- giving aide and sending soldiers to relieve those in distress.

Although the book isn't a formal or serious history, I found it helpful in establishing the basic outline of the war. The latter half is...dare I say, heartwarming, what with all the pictures of bright skyscrapers, happy children, and expressions of friendship between Korea and the United States.

[Charles]

Much has been said about the rise of the People’s Republic of China from a poor country to a major economic power. A lot of additional ink has been used to describe the rise of Japan from the complete defeat in World War II to one of the top five nations in terms of national GDP. Often lost in this is the incredible story of South Korea, completely devastated by war in 1950-1953, the nation rose to the status of a major economic power. South Korea now ranks at roughly eleventh place in terms of national GDP.
This book is a history of this, but it is more a tribute to the American blood and treasure that went into the stalemate form of victory won in the war from 1950-53. With Korea still split into north and south sections with completely different political and economic systems, it is an existence proof of the failure of communism.
The story is told in a small amount of text injected into a collection of images. There are scenes from the devastating war and then there are images from the modern nation with an emphasis on the urban areas. It closes with tributes to the men and women that fought in the war to defeat the north, one fact not often emphasized is that men from many different nations fought and died in Korea under the United Nations mandate.
The Korean War should be labeled as what it is, the conflict where communism was checked and thereby defeated. For it is a political system that must be everywhere, or it will only exist in spots. Any attempt to impose it can be easily countered by the simple statement, “Look at the two Koreas.” This book demonstrates that fact.

[Patricia Whitehurst]

a must read . If you know someone who was in the Korean war.

[Ben]

An informative and artistic look at a forgotten war and country and era in our History.

[Linda]

Beautiful pictures and great information. I understood a lot more about the Korean War and who the people of South Korea are from this book.