Korea Witness

by Donald Kirk, Choe Sang Hun (Editor)

ON THE FRONT LINE OF KOREAN HISTORY This book follows the long journey of correspondents who have passed through Korea. Since the first of them, photographer Felice Beato, arrived in 1871 with American troops invading Kangwha Island, foreign journalists have puzzled over this land, as complicated and fascinating now as 135 years ago. Famed author Jack London grappled with a blind horse. War reporters lived and died in sweltering heat and icy cold recording the horrors of the Korean War. Correspondents covered revolt and bloodshed in Gwangju, endured hours in the KCIA s dreaded interrogation center, and witnessed an assassination. These and many more episodes, chronicled here, reflect the violence and vitality of the land of the morning calm.

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The archetypal image I have for foreign correspondents isn't exactly flattering nor is it accurate. For that matter, it's not even of flesh and blood. It's a stock news reporting character from The Simpsons. No, not everyone's beloved Kent Brockman or even that guy with the poofy black hair who reported that pork prices began to rise in early trading. No, I'm referring to the skinny guy who dishevely dons a drab 1940s style suit and brown fedora. You might remember that he was with Bart when Blinky, the three-eyed fish, was discovered in the polluted waters downstream of the nuclear power plant. Although he has only appeared in the long-running TV series less a handful of times, you might have an image of him. Then again, you might not. His name, while completely forgettable, was actually Dave Shutton and he writes for the Springfield Shopper. I make this reference because like real foreign correspondents in Korea, their names may not be familiar to you at all but their presence and stories surely have captivated you. Korea Witness is a collection of dozens of stories of how these pioneers of their field got their scoops as well as the trails and tribulations associated with reporting the news in Korea.

Chronologically arranged, this book spans the careers of several generations of journalists and their careers involving Korea and its foreign press. Stories from parachute journalists based in Tokyo and English speaking Koreans working for foreign presses share their fascinating and surprisingly shocking stories from their time. From meeting other hacks, dodging Korean war bullets and bombs, interviewing CEOs in Japanese, rubbing elbows with Korean presidents, dangerously sneaking into the Gwangju student-led powder keg, pre-email era dictating horrors, enduring death threats and surviving tear gas assaults, these men (and one Pulitzer prize winning woman) have earned their right to call themselves journalists. Their stories are just as dynamic as any Hollywood movie.

The book design is non-distractingly pleasing and thoughtfully laid out. The plentiful amount of photos embedded are often breathtaking in their own right and certainly compliment the attached article. Cleanly laid out at the end of each entry is a short summary of the author which is footnoted to help fill in certain biographical details that might help the reader better understand the author's relationship with Korea. The editors have accepted works from a wide range of writers and the book is all the better for it.

However, one early chapter about Japanese correspondents in particular feels like a rough draft of what could have been a memorable story. There's not else much to criticize other than the comparatively small amount of non-Caucasian American male voices to be heard but that's likely indicative of both the language of the book and the likely small ratio of European, Chinese and Japanese correspondents of the time.

Korea Witness is an smooth and entertaining read. If not limited in scope, it tells of a war-torn, post-Liberation, economic miracle, Olympic hosting, economic collapsing, technology exporting powerhouse that, through the eyes of the foreign press, have plenty of stories to tell. This book sums up those stories quite nicely.

[Jeffrey Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating very long collection of essays of wildly variable quality (some seem to have been dictated by phone, unedited). Required reading for every Korea watcher. The many stories of the Korean War era and then the Gwangju uprising carry more verisimilitude for their raw unedited quality. The observant reader tries to match up the slightly different facts presented in different reporters' reminiscences.

This book is difficult to slog through at times, but patient reading is rewarded, for the true Korea hand to get a more complete view of Korean history through the eyes of foreign and local reporters. It would be great to chat with some Seoul old-timers and ask about their memories of the various events presented in the book.
It provides even more dramatic views of the stunning changes that have come to Korea in the last 20 years, validating the boosterism of Seoul's National Museum of Korean Contemporary History.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on modern Korean history! I read it out of neccessity to understand Korea as I was immersed in it's culuture.

I recommend it for anyone interested in Asian and world history.