Koreas Place in the Sun By Cumings Bruce

About this book

When Korea s Place in the Sun first appeared Bruce Cumings argued that Korea had endured a fractured shattered twentieth century The new century has seen South Korea flourish after a restructuring of its political economy and North Korea suffer through a famine that has cost the lives of millions of people The United States continues to play an important role on the Korean peninsula from the Clinton administration overseeing the first real hints of reunification to the Bush administration confronting a renewal of 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 For those who need a grounding in the tempestuous history surrounding Korea or a context in which to understand its role in current global politics this updated edition of Korea s Place in the Sun is a must read BOOK JACKET 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