Exploring Korean history from its ancient roots to the present day, A
Brief History of Korea is the story of a people with a rich and united
culture that has become two Koreas in modern times--one isolated and
secretive and the other among the world's most successful economies.
Korean culture developed on a 600-mile-long peninsula, bordered on the
north by mountains and three sides by the sea, set apart from the Asian
mainland.
Korea was one of the last countries in Asia to be visited by Westerners
and its borders have remained largely unchanged since it was unified in
the seventh century. Though it is one of the world's oldest and most
ethnically homogeneous states, Korea was not born in a vacuum.
Geographically isolated, the country was heavily influenced by powerful
China and was often used as a bridge to the mainland by Japan.
Calling themselves as "a shrimp among whales," Koreans borrowed elements
of government, culture and religion all the while fiercely fighting to
maintain independence from powerful neighbors. This fascinating book
tells the story of Korean domestic dynasties, empires and states, as
well as foreign conquest, occupation and division. Today, the two Koreas
are starkly different--North Korea a nation closed to the world and
South Korea an economic powerhouse and center of Asian democracy.
Chronicling significant events right up through 2018's Singapore Summit,
author Michael J. Seth presents a relevant, interesting and important
history of Korea within a larger global context. Korea's history is a
turbulent one, but ultimately the story of a resistant and resourceful
people in search of lasting peace.
