The History of Korea

by Djun Kil Kim, Chun-Kil Kim, Chun-Gil Kim

The Koreas are two of the few countries in the East Asian world to successfully maintain political and cultural independence from China. Originated by the Han-Ye-Maek people who had migrated from North China to Manchuria and the Korean peninsula since 2000 BCE, three Korean dynasties―Great Silla, Koryo, and Choson―kept peace and prosperity in the country since the 7th century, nurturing a civilization based on Buddhism, Confucianism and the East Asian world-system. Korea, despite experiencing Japanese dominion and the nation's division, now looks forward to enjoying its prosperity as a member of the global community and to seeing a unified Korea. This volume provides a comprehensive review of Korea's history, from its roots in Neolithic civilization, and the tradition and evolution of nation-building in the traditional East Asian world system, through Korea's global setting in modern times. Also included are a biographical section highlighting famous figures in Korean history, a timeline of important historical events, a glossary of Korean terms, and a bibliographical essay with suggestions for further reading. The historical origin of Korean identity in the East Asian world, Korea's failure to adapt to a changing East Asian world-system, as well as the political division Korea suffered in the second half of the 20th century are discussed. Readers will benefit from the inclusion of direct translations from original classical Chinese and Korean sources by the author. Excellent as a reference tool for students and general readers interested in the history of this unique nation.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Asia, Research

232 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2000

Reviews

[Jeffrey Caston · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise, clearly written history of Korea, but still very rich in detail. It proved invaluable for researching one of my currently developing characters.

[Gretel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Kim gives enough information for beginners with important facts. As an overview of Korean history it does a well enough job. Lacks sometimes a bit of details but that is the nature of these type of books. Nonetheless, easy to read.
I think it's a good introduction.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Korean history book written by a Korean scholar. Finally. A breath of fresh air into the small niche Korean history genre, this finely written text is free from fluff, striking biasedness and needless rhetoric. The author knows his stuff and acknowledges his faults and viewpoint up front preparing the reader for an in depth look into Korean history and how it shapes the present.

This text isn't free from faults, though. It is completely devoid of graphics and illustrations save for a small handful of old kingdom maps. It also scantly covers the modern history; a possible oversight seeing as the series is titled "The modern nations..." Although it doesn't imply a modern history, one can see how a casual reader might pick up the book looking for a modern history only to find medieval and japanese colonization as it's focus point.

All in all, it's a great read and follows a similar flow of Micheal Breen's "the Koreans...". I would recommend this read for anyone looking for a brushup in general or a closer look at the Japanese colonization period.

[AskHistorians]

An overview of the history of the Korean peninsula from the earliest known inhabitants to the start of the 21st century. Clearly written and generally free of bias. A very good comprehensive introduction to the history of the Koreas.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is what comes of watching too many Korean historical dramas ;)

Korea is a shrimp caught between two whales, a saying that makes sense after you read their history. Given that they were often being invaded, controlled or occupied by China or Japan, I can understand why. Conquered by the Han, Tang Chinese, Mongols, Japanese, Americans, Russians, etc. it's not a happy read.

Early Korean history is a bit like Japan's, absorbing much of their culture and religion from China, except that they were much easier to invade without a convenient ocean to intervene. The details are quite a bit different and it's interesting to see how similar social pressures can have different results. Modern Korea suffered from bad government through the 1980s and has now come into its own.

In America, as the author points out, Korea has not garnered as much attention as China or Japan. This book was the only general history compared to the dozen or more of the other countries. Its an interesting read.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, short intro to Korean history.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive, yet easy to follow. Love the collection of significant people in Korean History feature.

[Southwind · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. Too short and not concise enough. It is a book written a bit general without deep facts. Leaves the reader with a need to make research on facts.