Korea and East Asia

"Dr. Kenneth B. Lee ... has painted a timely, many-faceted picture of real Korea and its heroic people... The book's style is easily readable, presenting a wealth of material on the long Korean history in relation to Korea's neighbors, as well as present-day situations of South and North Korea on broad topics of political, economic, military, social, and cultural aspects. Dr. Lee dealt with these subjects most accurately, thoroughly, and objectively. Indeed, the author made a great contribution to academia with many new historical theories regarding the development of Korean and other East Asian civilizations... I ... strongly recommend this timely book." -- Kyung-Cho Chung, LL.D., Lit.D., Korean Research Council "[Dr. Lee] writes as a Korean patriot in the best sense of that phrase, expounding on Korea's seminal contributions to the growth of East Asian civilization. He describes a Korea which as played a key role as a link between China and Japan, but also has carved out a distinct identity in Asia and the international community... [A] useful addition to the literature on Korean history, Korean national development, and Korea's role in the modern world." -- Edward Olsen, PhD, Professor, East Asian Studies, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School [This work] traces the history of the Koreans from prehistoric times down to the present day. With ardent conviction, Dr. Lee establishes their position among the major nations prominent in the East Asia region. Drawing on a wealth of sources, he describes the Koreans' political, cultural, and economic history in considerable detail...Dr. Lee's book is the latest contribution toward putting the historical record straight...a valuable addition to the scholarly literature on this important region. -- Neil Granoien, Ph.D.^LDean, School of Asian II

To understand Korea's present situation, one must look back at many thousands of years of Korean history. Some of the questions addressed in this study are: How did Koreans rebuild their country time after time, following destruction by foreign invaders? Why is North Korea so different from South Korea?Korea has had a long, great civilization, with four golden ages. Destruction caused by foreign powers has failed to extinguish the Korean spirit for survival. Korea, at least its southern part, is at the threshold of another golden age, despite the handicap of being a divided nation. To understand Korea's present situation, one must look back at many thousands of years of Korean history. The purpose of this study is to look squarely at that history, including the atrocities committed against Koreans by several countries, especially Japan in the periods of 1592-1598 and 1895-1945. Some of the questions addressed in this study are: How did Koreans rebuild their country time after time, following destruction by foreign invaders? How could Koreans, in recent years, rebuild their economy in such a short time? What motivates them? Why is North Korea so different from South Korea? What is the potential of Korea in the twenty-first century? Why do Koreans have such difficulty unifying their country?