The Koreans: America's Troubled Relations with North and South Korea [Hardcover]

Michael Breen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312242115 | ISBN-13: 978-0312242114 | Publication Date: December 28, 1999 | Edition: First Edition

The rise of South Korea is one of the most unexpected and inspirational developments of the latter part of our century. A few decades ago, the Koreans were an impoverished, agricultural people. In one generation they came out of the fields and into Silicon Valley. In 1997, this powerhouse of a nation reeled and almost collapsed as a result of a weak financial system and heavily indebted conglomerates. The world is now watching to see whether the Koreans will be able to reform and continue their stunning growth.

Although Korea has only recently found itself a part of the global stage, it is a country with a rich and complex past. Early history shows that Koreans had a huge influence on ancient Japan, and their historic achievements include being the first culture to use metal movable type for printing books. However, much of their history is less positive; it is marred with political violence, poverty, and war-aspects that would sooner be forgotten by the Koreans, who are trying to focus on their promising future.

The fact that Korean history has eluded much of the world is unfortunate, but as Korea becomes more of a global player, understanding and appreciation for this unique nation has become indispensable.

In The Koreans, Michael Breen provides an in-depth portrait of the country and its people. an early overview of the nature and values of the Korean people provides the background for a more detailed examination of the complex history of the country, in particular its division into the Communist north and pro-Western south.

In this absorbing and enlightening account of the Koreans, Michael Breen provides compelling insight into the history and character of this fascinating nation.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

A veteran British journalist examines the history, culture, and economy of North and (principally) South Korea, where he lives for half of each year. Realizing that most readers know Korea only because of the war (1950-53) or because of the communist North's nuclear potential and noisy aggressiveness, Breen limns with patience and perspicuity an engaging portrait of this least-known of the major Asian economic powers. He describes, for example, the ``fierce sense of identity'' among Koreans and concludes that in Korean society ``you are your DNA. He examines Korean religions and educational systems, observing that the peninsula's undergraduate programs are inferior because students experience ``no pressure to perform as undergraduates. In a rapid summary of Korean history, Breen notes that the Koreans ``have remained a distinct people'' for centuries, despite domination by China, Japan, and others. He has a powerful command of anecdote and detail, illustrated for example in his description of community-wide rock fights in the 19th century to settle public disputes and in the horrible image of the 100,000 pickled Korean noses the 16th-century Japanese warriors took to their country to certify their body counts. Breen credits the late South Korean president Park Chung-hee for providing the leadership that propelled his nation into the front ranks of economic powers, but he also presents a devastating analysis of the pervasive bribery and corruption in the Korean business, education, medical, and legal systems. In a clever though questionable analogy, Breen attempts to infer broad cultural truths from the ``lawless, selfish and rude'' behavior of South Korean drivers, asserting that ``traffic behaviour illustrates how society regulates itself. In general, a splendid work of explication and analysis by one who admits to being both charmed and angered by his subjects. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

"Michael Breen illuminates through countless anecdotes and personal observations the weird and wonderful ways of Asia's most paradoxical, polarized country. Few Koreans, let alone foreigners, have a better understanding than Breen of how a people can be alternately warm and ruthless, shrewd and childlike, tolerant and pigheaded. This is a thoughtful, passionate, and enlightening look at the world's eleventh largest economy and one its oldest cultures; required reading for the neophyte and Korea hand alike." --Steve Glain, former Seoul correspondent, The Wall Street Journal

"Michael Breen gives readers an insight into the history and character of a complex people which helps us assess how they might deal with the current complex period in their development." --Catherine Lee, Seoul correspondent, The Economist

"For anyone who wants to know Korea and the Koreans better, this book is an excellent place to start. Michael Breen's achievement is to have gotten under Korea's skin. His portrait of Koreans is at once highly personal and convincingly recognizable. both engaged and engaging, this book comes as close as an outsider can get to an insider's account of contemporary Korea [and its] undoubted importance as a key player in the global economy of the twenty-first century." --Aidan Foster-Carter, Korea expert, Leeds University

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (December 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312242115
• ISBN-13: 978-0312242114
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,193,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for anyone interetsed in Korea, June 29, 2000

By 

Niall McCabe - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Koreans: America's Troubled Relations with North and South Korea (Hardcover)

I purchase this book a week before I left Seoul, in June of 1999, after 5 years living and working, for and with the Korean people. As I read the first chapter on the long flight back to my home in Ireland, I immediately knew this book was going to be everything I had hoped it would be and wished I had access to such a book 5 years earlier before I arrived in Seoul. Mr. Breen, like many other authors starts by giving a brief outline of Korea's troubled history and how this history has effected the Korean people. What separates this book from many other books on Korea is Breen's emphasis ,as the title suggests, on how Koreans behave and why they act that way. Breen explains many aspects of modern Korea(really South Korea) culture, which took me 5 years to understand and appreciate. He discusses areas which most foreigners who visit Korea for a short period of time will probably never notice or if they do not fully ubderstand. An example of such an area is the structure of a Korean office and the importance of desk position, chair size etc. etc. Finally, the book is very well written and an easy read. Breen manages to describe Korea and "The Koreans" in a clear and un-pedantic style accessible to everybody. I would recommend this book to anybody who is planning a trip to Korea for either business or pleasure. For any business traveller, I also recommend Mark Cliffords excellent history of Korean industry "The Troubled Tiger".

49 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tremendous book!, May 13, 2000

By 

Iljun Jang "GadgetGeek" (Seoul, Korea) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Koreans: America's Troubled Relations with North and South Korea (Hardcover)

Mr. Breen's book is filled with insights about the Korean people. I recommend this book without any reservation to anyone interested in Korea and the Koreans, and I think that the two groups who will particularly appreciate this wonderful book are foreigners living in Korea, and expatriate Koreans living abroad. As a Korean who has spent quite a number of years abroad(England and Japan), I have always been weary of the many, many aspects of the Korean psyche and character which must seem strange to foreigners, but never quite been able to put a finger on it. This book not only achieves just that in flying colours with a mixture of vivid anecdotes and scrupulous research, but it also sheds some bright light on WHY we Koreans do what we do - be it "good" or "bad" in the eyes of foreigners. I should note that another gem about this book is that the author has sprinkled it with an abundant portion of English humour("English" here in the sense of "English weather"), and while reading some pages, I was rolling on the floor laughing with stitches. Highly, highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Korea.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Account of Korea, December 17, 2000

By 

C. Joan Villanueva "katxgrt" (Jackson, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Koreans: America's Troubled Relations with North and South Korea (Hardcover)

I have lived in Korea for three years, and never read anything so vivid and insightful into the Korean society, history and culture. The author explains each point with countless examples to prove his point, in such articulate detail I can't imagine any book which explains Korea better. Michael Breen talks about Korea and the foreigner's love / hate relationship with the country, and how Korea tends regardless to captivate and interest foreigners, which I could directly relate to. In addition he explains the history in a fascinating and colorful chronicle, and gives a vivid description of what exactly has shaped the Korean mind and their attitudes towards outsiders. If someone was interested in Korea, this is the first book I would recommend.