Free Download | A Concise History of Modern Korea | Michael J. Seth


Placing this formerly insular society in a global context, Michael J. Seth describes how this ancient, culturally and ethnically homogeneous society first fell victim to Japanese imperialist expansionism, and then was arbitrarily divided in half after World War II. Seth traces the postwar paths of the two Koreas_with different political and social systems and different geopolitical orientations_as they evolved into sharply contrasting societies. Considering the radically different trajectories of North and South Korea, Seth assesses the insights they offer for understanding modern Korea in global perspective. In crucial respects, Korea is arguably the oldest nation in the world. People of Korean ethnicity-language group have occupied essentially the same region for centuries with a remarkable degree of cultural and institutional continuity.