by Bruce Cumings
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Product Description
"Passionate, cantankerous, and fascinating….Rather like Korea itself."—Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times Book Review
Korea has endured a "fractured, shattered twentieth century," and this updated edition brings Bruce Cumings's leading history of the modern era into the present. The small country, overshadowed in the imperial era, crammed against great powers during the Cold War, and divided and decimated by the Korean War, has recently seen the first real hints of reunification. But positive movements forward are tempered by frustrating steps backward. In the late 1990s South Korea survived its most severe economic crisis since the Korean War, forcing a successful restructuring of its political economy. Suffering through floods, droughts, and a famine that cost the lives of millions of people, North Korea has been labeled part of an "axis of evil" by the current Bush administration and has renewed its nuclear threats. On both sides Korea seems poised to continue its fractured existence on into the new century, with potential ramifications for the rest of the world. 25 illustrations.
Amazon.com Review
Bruce Cumings traces the growth of Korea from a string of competing walled city-states to its present dual nationhood. He examines the ways in which Korean culture has been influenced by Japan and China, and the ways in which it has subtly influenced its more powerful neighbors. Cumings also considers the recent changes in the South, where authoritarianism is giving way to democracy, and in the North, which Cumings depicts as a "socialist corporatist" state more like a neo-Confucian kingdom than a Stalinist regime. Korea's Place in the Sun does much to help Western readers understand the complexities of Korea's past and present.
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Average Customer Review:
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
 A different drum, 2008-01-04
I found this book very engrossing and educational. Vast majority of Korean history books do not include how foreign countries actions/lack of actions affected Korea's history. For example, the U.S. Cumings may sound anti-American, but when parts of history is revealed/told that isn't often heard it can seem rather harsh to those who aren't use to it. What I really liked about his writing was that he revealed the short-comings of every country involved, including Korea itself. Korea's turbulant history is very complex and yet most think it's pretty straight forward. This book makes you think outside the box.
I would suggest this book to those who want to learn about the other facets of Korea's history other than the standard and REALLY learn about Korea and its people.
5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
 Korean History and Personal Opinion, 2007-06-15
Being married to a Korean lady, and having been to Korea six times since 1980, I read this book with interest. I also worked in Korea on an AID mission to assist two university science departments at Seoul National University develop into international graduate program status. Thus because of my trips, and having lived there, I read the book with more than routine interest. Because of these visits, I have read other books on Korean History also and travelled throughout SOuth Korea many times and seeing the historical monuments.
I found that this book sumamrized historical events fairly well, and found no inconsistencies with other books I had read. What was disturbing and disappointing to me was that Cumings mixes historical facts with his personal interpretations and opinions. If this was a true excercise in scholarly history, these should have been separated, labelled and properly disclosed.
My second disappointment was the Anti-American tone of the book. Yes, It is true that Kroea suffered during the Korean War, and part of that suffering was from military and US state department blunders. However, in my experience, the Koreans I have come to know are grateful to the USA for having saved them from the fate of living in a reclusive, communistic, totalitarian state and have not forgotten it. That includes a large number of younger people I have met there.
In short, this book is part history and part OP ED writing. As a work of scholarship it flunks the test of objectivity and separation and disclosure of historical fact from personal opinion/interpretation. Hence, I rate it a "2"
9 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
 Flawed, 2006-11-26
Bruce Cumings writes well, and that's what makes this book an interesting read. It discusses in detail the events of the late 19th century, which are absolutely critical to understanding why Korea is what it is today.
The book, however, is marred by some simply unbelievable passages regarding North Korea. For example, at the end, contrasting the generous welfare state provisions of the former West Germany with the less than generous benefits offered by the South Korean state, Cumings writes that "North Korean citizens can look forward to little or none of this in union with the South, but instead to the longest hours of labor in the industrial world on terms that South Korean firms would set."
Yes, Mr. Cumings, but they can also look forward to living in a free political environment and speaking their minds without running the risk of being shipped off to the Gulag. Mr. Cumings wrote the above sentence in 1997, but even at that time it was already well known what a disaster of a nation North Korea had become.
Almost all people who pay attention to the subject now agree that there is only one legitimate government on the Korean Peninsula, and that government is in Seoul. I'm sure North Koreans will gladly put in long hours at the factory in a reunified nation where liberty and democracy prevail.
3 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
 My pillow loves this book., 2006-04-10
It loves it because every time I go to read it my pillow gets used when I fall asleep. This book has a couple of parts that are interesting, but mostly it is boring political views. If you don't have a passion for East Asia, do not read this book; it is like pulling teeth.
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
Don't read this book for its treatment of politics of Korean War to now. There's plenty of other books for that!, 2006-01-31
What makes this book GREAT is Cummings' ability to artfully and intelligently convey the cultural and historical flavor of Korea! He does this amazingly with such honesty, insight and intelligence. This is what makes this book one of the BEST books about Korea! If you're interested in kearning about Korean culture, people history, READ THIS BOOK!
The portions of the book when Cummings tells the story of Chosun Kings, Korea's troubled relations with Japan, or the last chapter describing personal experiences with his wife's family to illustrate Korean characteristics, etc., are gold! He weaves all of it to convey a heartful description of Korea and its people that's insightfully authentic and genuine. It's quite amazing how he does this.
The politics of the book and its treatment of events leading up to Korean War until now is admittedly leftist, albeit well-written. If you want to learn about politics and Korean War, etc., go read another book.
If you want to get a genuine feel of Korean culture, history and insight into the character of Korean people, read this book!
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