A Concise History of Modern Korea

Michael J. Seth is professor of history at James Madison University.

Contents
Primary Source Readings
Preface to the Second Edition
Acknowledgments
Maps
Introduction
1 Korea in the Age of Imperialism, 1876 to 1910
Early Contacts with the West
The Opening of Korea
Early Reforms, 1876–1884
The Chinese Decade, 1885–1894
The Tonghak Rebellion
Kabo Reforms
The Russian Ascendency and the Independence Club
The Russo-Japanese War and the Protectorate
The Protectorate, 1905–1910
Korea in Transition
Korea in Global Perspective: Korea in the Age of Imperialism
Notes
2 Colonial Korea, 1910 to 1945
The March First Movement
The Post–March First Period
Cultural Ferment of the 1920s
Moderate and Radical Nationalism
Economic Development
Modernity and Social Change
Rural Society
Wartime Colonialism, 1931–1945
Forced Assimilation
A Society in Turmoil: The Legacy of Colonial Rule
Korea in Global Perspective: The Korean Nationalist Movement
Korea in Global Perspective: Korea’s Colonial Experience
Notes
3 Division and War, 1945 to 1953
The End of Colonial Rule in Korea
North Korea under Soviet Occupation
South Korea under U.S. Occupation
Trusteeship
Establishing a Separate Regime in the North
The Beginnings of a New Regime in the South
Toward Division
The Republic of Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
On the Eve of the Korean War
The Korean War
The Impact of the Korean War
Korea in Global Perspective: Divided Countries
Korea in Global Perspective: The Korean War
Notes
4 North Korea: Recovery, Transformation, and Decline, 1953 to 1993
The Divergent Paths of the Two Koreas
North Korea’s Recovery
North Korea’s Great Leap Forward
The Political Consolidation of Kim Il Sung and His Manchurian Guerrilla Comrades
Creating a Monolithic State
The Cult of the Kim Family
Kim Il Sung’s Juche Society
Everyday Life
Foreign Policy
Economic Problems
Korea in Global Perspective: North Korea as a Communist Country
Notes
5 South Korea: From Poverty to Prosperity, 1953 to 1997
The Syngman Rhee Years, 1953–1960
The Democratic Experiment, 1960–1961
The Military Coup
Economic Transformation
Economic Growth under Park Chung Hee
Chaebŏls
Transformation of the Countryside
Economic Development in the 1980s
Explaining South Korea’s Economic Miracle
Education
Korea in Global Perspective: Educational Development
Korea in Global Perspective: Economic Development
Notes
6 South Korea: Creating a Democratic Society, 1953 to 1997
Military Authoritarianism
The Yushin Era, 1971–1979
Seoul Spring, 1979–1980
The Fifth Republic
1987: A Political Turning Point
Transition to Democracy
Understanding the Democratic Turn
Student Activism
Organized Labor
Social and Cultural Transition
Korea in Global Perspective: Democratization
Notes
7 Contemporary North Korea, 1993 to 2019
In Decline: A Period of Crisis
Under Kim Jong Il
Ideology
Famine
Crisis and Summitry
Tentative Reforms
Confrontations and the Policy of Survival
North Korea Under Kim Jong Un
Reviving the Past, Moving Toward an Uncertain Future
Korea in Global Perspective: North Korea’s Famine
Korea in Global Perspective: North Korea as a Failed State
Notes
8 Contemporary South Korea, 1997 to 2019
Return to Civilian Government
Economic Crisis and Recovery
Domestic Politics
Foreign Policy
Rethinking Reunification
A Society Undergoing Rapid Change
Changing Gender Relations, Changing Families
Ethnic Homogeneity and Multiculturalism
Facing History and Preserving Heritage
New Crises and New Problems
Korea in Global Perspective: South Korea’s Place in the World
Notes
Conclusion
Appendix: Romanization
Glossary of Korean Words
Annotated Selected Bibliography
Index
About the Author