The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History (Revised and Updated Edition) | 
|  | | | Title: | The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History (Revised and Updated Edition) | | Author: | Don Oberdorfer | | Publisher: | Basic Books | | Type: | Book / Paperback | | Publication Date: | 05 February, 2002 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0465051626 / 9780465051625 | | List Price: | $22.00 | | Amazon Price: | $22.00 | |
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Product Description
Don Oberdorfer has written a gripping narrative history of Korea's travails and triumphs over the past three decades. The Two Koreas places the tensions between North and South within a historical context, with a special emphasis on the involvement of outside powers.
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Customer Reviews:
• What A Book! 15 October, 2007
I cannot recall reading a book which covers a country's contemporary history in such an interesting and insightful way.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2SDP9U8R69R8W
• Esl Teacher 03 August, 2007
Thanks for the fast service. Haven't read the book yet, but looks quite interesting and informational!
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1HCAFIQ8Z2Z37
• Informative But A Bit Awkward 26 August, 2007
I picked up "The Two Koreas" before leaving for my first visit to Seoul and Busan hoping to get a full picture of political and economic developments on the peninsula since the end of the Korean War. I usually pre-screen my book purchases thoroughly, but in this case chose Oberdorfer's piece simply because it appeared to be the best option available on short notice.
This isn't a bad book; but it is a bit awkward. First, the only logic to the timeframe covered (roughly 1972 to 2000) is that it cooresponds to Oberdorfer's personal experience in Korean affairs as a journalist with the Washington Post. The post-war years of the authoritarian regimes of Syngman Rhee and Kim Il Song are not discussed at all, nor are the early years of Park Chung Hee's regime in the 1960s as he laid the groundwork for the South Korean economic miracle of the late twentieth century.
Second, the weight of the narrative is heavily focused on the North Korean nuclear program and the efforts of the Clinton administration to negotiate a settlement with Pyongyang in the 1990s. Large and important swaths of Korean history in the 1970s are dealt with in a largely cursory manner, but the 1994 nuclear crisis is reconstructed in an almost hour-by-hour chronology of events. Indeed, nearly half of the book is dedicated to just a handful of events in the 1990s.
Finally, the style of "The Two Koreas" is a clumsy blend of narrative history and personal memoir cum political analysis. Oberdorfer should have pursued one of two approaches to his topic. He could have written a comprehensive contemporary narrative of post-war Korea in the spirit and style of similar endeavors by veteran foreign journalists, the most notable example being Stanley Karnow's wonderful piece on the Philippines, "In our Image." Or he could have fully embraced the use of the first person and written a memoir on his experiences in Korea and how that experience has shaped his perception of Korean history and the future of North/South relations, much as Tom Friedman did with his award-winning memoir/history "From Beirut to Jerusalem." Instead, "The Two Koreas" reads like a personal, casual conversation with Don Oberdorfer over drinks at a club on Capitol Hill. He delves deeply into the topics he knows best, punched up with anecdotes from personal encounters with the key players at the time, while providing just basics on the other parts of the story he is less familiar with.
The above notwithstanding, "The Two Koreas" does provide a good introduction to some of the key players and Korean events of the past three decades, from the ax-handle murders at the DMZ in 1976 and assassination of Park Chung Hee in 1979 to the government crack-down on government protests in Gwangju in 1980 and the arrest of former presidents Roh Tae-Woo and Chun Doo Hwan in 1996 on corruption charges.
Concerning the on-going North Korean nuclear crisis, which is really the focus of this book, Oberdorfer clearly sees the program as Pyongyang's only effective card to play in relations with the United States and the international community. As the communist bloc imploded, North Korea witnessed the blossoming relationship between Seoul and the Soviet Union and China with no reciprocal rapprochment between Pyongyang and Washington. Oberdorfer suggests that Pyongyang basically stumbled upon the nuclear program as the one sure-fire way to the undivided attention of leaders in the United States and develop the dialogue and aid packages the beleagered communist state so desperately needs.
One final point should be noted. The cover states that the book has been "revised and expanded," but any potential reader should know that "The Two Koreas" does not cover critical events in the 2000-2005 timeframe, including Pyongyang's admission that the government never lived up to the original terms of the Agreed Framework in the first place.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1O96IRCAIDZRQ
• Outstanding Overview Of Recent Korean History 04 July, 2008
Anyone who wants to brush up on the issues surrounding North and South Korea would do well to pick up this volume. It is well written and actually enjoyable to read. You will also pick up a lot of historical tidbits from the era from the author who was actually there as a reporter. Especially interesting were his observations of North Korea made during a trip there.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A13TMQU7MJ1VIG
• Excellent Intro To Modern Korean History 10 January, 2007
This book is a novel-like easy read, but it's as informative as a textbook. It's a must for anyone who wants to understand just what the hell happened to make the two Koreas so different from one another today, and the roots of the nuclear standoff that we're having with North Korea today. The author is a pretty authoritative source, as he's actually met and interviewed many of the key players in the book. Highly recommended.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1Z33ZM5JSFJ2
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