A Brief History of Korea, Michael J. Seth
A Brief History of Korea, Michael J. Seth
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A Brief History of Korea
Isolation, War, Despotism and Revival: The Fascinating Story of a Resilient But Divided People

Author: Michael J. Seth

Narrator: Sean Runnette

Unabridged: 9 hr 36 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/12/2019


Synopsis

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.

About Michael J. Seth

Michael J. Seth has been a professor of world history at James Madison University for more than twenty years. He worked and taught English in Korea for many years before receiving his PhD in East Asian History from the University of Hawaii. He has authored several books on Korean history, including A History of Korea: From Antiquity to the Present, A Concise History of Modern Korea: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present, A Concise History of Korea: From the Neolithic to the Nineteenth Century, and Education Fever: Politics, Society and the Pursuit of Schooling in South Korea.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Christopher on May 04, 2015

My younger sisters were both adopted from Korea, and my parents have always celebrated their heritage; I grew up eating bulgogi and japchae, visiting Korean cultural events, and watching my sisters become interested in the pop culture offerings (movies, music, etc) of Korea. But it wasn't until visi......more

Goodreads review by S.Baqer on July 30, 2020

Finally done with this book. It took me more than 4 months but it was really fun and informative. A bit heavy sometimes especially parts related to economics (not my cup of tea). The writing style is good enough and the book covers most of Korean history in great detail.......more

Goodreads review by Clark on May 31, 2022

The information contained in this book is sound and if you read it from cover to cover you’ll have a pretty good idea of Korea’s interesting journey. My main complaint with this text is the way they handle non-English terms. There are lots of Korean words but also Japanese and Chinese terms and name......more

Goodreads review by Paula on March 10, 2022

With no background in Korean History apart from KDramas and Wikipedia, I can't judge the content of this book on accuracy etc. I'm pretty happy with the coverage. My gripes are with the editing (loads of uncorrected errors, particularly in the first half of the book) and with the repetitive nature of......more

Goodreads review by Brian on February 14, 2017

This is a necessary book for beginning to understand the Korean people to any extent.......more