Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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".

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.

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.

The Koreans is a balanced reference work for people with a curiosity about modern Korea. It would probably make a good textbook for college students too. I lived in Pusan for one and a half years and there just aren't too many good books on Korea. The author's points are largely correct, but he sometimes exaggerates, maybe to support his case. Although the author's book jacket bio mentions that he used to write for the Unification Church-owned Washington Times, it makes no mention of his previously published biography of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's early years. I don't know if Breen himself is a member of the Unification Church but the full text of his Moon book is posted on the church's official website under the heading, "Bibliography of Our Publications." Regardless of the author's affiliations, The Koreans is a fair treatment about a country not many people know about.

In a few brief words: Mr. Breen "gets it."

I bought three books about Korean culture before I came to live here. This was the last of the three, because, frankly, I was a little put off by the pompous title. But right from the start I could see that he knew his stuff. And now, it's easily my favorite of the three.

What makes this book different is its courage. Other books on Korea are too apologetic for some of the less savory aspects of Korean culture. For example, in the other books I read there was far too much "Yes, Koreans do X and X, but you have to understand that it's just differences in culture." Mr. Breen's observations, on the other hand, eschew all of these niceties and cut through to the whys and hows. It's not that he has a negative view of the culture, far from it. It's simply that he tells it like it is.

It's also a funny read (for example, the observation that when Koreans have no one to talk to they have a tendency to fall asleep).

If there's one criticism, it's that the book is a little to Seoul-centric. There are other places beyond the capital city that are not very well represented. There were times when I was reading when I said "that's not how it is in Busan."

Aside from that, it's a keen look into Korean culture. It doesn't necessarily paint a rosy picture, but "The Koreans" is honest and it's a fun read. You will definitely learn a lot about Korea reading this book.

This book is what it is -- a broad brushstroke of Korean society based on one man's experience. Breen's observations are insightful, entertaining and witty (as are all Englishmen?); however, at times he betrays a paternalistic attitude toward Korean society (as do all Englishmen?). This is not a scholarly book nor a history text (Hallelujah!), yet it provides a clear and concise account of Korean history. If you want a dissertation, go to a university. If you want a brief and readable introduction to Korean people, then start here. Just remember that stereotypes do not define everyone within a group, but often have an origin in truth.

As a person of Korean background, I found Breen's book pleasantly insightful. I've read many good historical reference books about Korean history, but few that give insight into the national and social character -- and fewer still that actually hold Koreans accountable (at least by degree) for their own 20th century history.

Breen tries very hard to give his reader what feels like an "inside scoop" on very difficult, complex, and beautiful society. As such, it can seem "politically incorrect" for some -- particularly because he is an "outsider" writing about Korea. But his status actually allows him to write with greater objectivity -- at least in my view -- because he has the courage to articulate what Koreans intuitively understand but rarely utter. Breen exposes secrets within the national character and that is always discomforting. 20th century Korean history, however, has been rife with unsustainable secrets and its nice to see some of these exposed. Koreans have been victims and pawns in the 20th century -- but they have also made some important and fateful choices. If we (as a Korean) want our losses and sacrifices acknowledged, then we must also accept and embrace our responsibilities. Breen is very good at showing the necessity of both!

A Korean would probably never write a book like Breen's -- not because they don't know, but because the context is so clear to them. The trouble is that few have bothered to share this context with the rest of us. I thank Breen for taking the risks to do so. The Cold War is not over in Korea. For those of us who hope for a "Velvet Revolution" that might peacefully reunite the split halves of Korea, Breen's book is helpful and insightful. It is a global village and Koreans cannot function as the sole agents of their destiny -- which is something Americans are also learning (albeit slowly).

Few have the courage, candor or skill to do what Breen has done. No book is perfect, but Breen has opened a new door and let the sunshine in!

As anyone who does business in Korea knows, understanding Korean culture is not only critically important, it is extremely difficult to achieve. Before reading this book, I would joke that I had a 25% understanding of Korean culture (this after more than ten years of handling legal matters there and of representing Korean companies in their legal matters outside Korea). About halfway through this book, I realized my understanding was really only at about 10%, but after reading it, I was back up to 25%. I have a number of Western friends who are fluent in Korean and have lived and worked there for many years. Without exception, their comments on this book are similar. They say that while not completely accurate (books like this do have a tendency to get out of date quickly), it is the best and the fastest way to get a decent understanding of Korean culture. For that reason, I heartily recommend this book.

Michael Breen does an outstanding job at both understanding and observing the Koreans. As a Korean myself, it was very interesting to read the perspectives of a foreigner. He also points out some of our cultural and social aspects that , as Koreans, we never think about. Breen overall shows a large repertoire of Korean knowledge, and I would recommend this book to anyone trying to get an insight on Koreans or Korean culture.

Am somewhat surprised at the negative tones of some of the reviews below, which appear to be predicated on opinions that the book is is in some way insulting to Koreans, is too British, or is non-academic.

As regards the first point, it is worth noting that the positive reviews appear to be from people currently in Korea, or, indeed from Koreans themselves. It is worth further noting that the book became a bestseller in its Korean translation ("Hankukin-ul Mal Handa"- literally, "Talking about Koreans" - which may actually be a more accurate title for the book than the English version). This reviewer personally taught this book at Seoul's Ewha Women's University as part of a course on Western writings on Korea, and the students were very pro.

Too British? Perhaps - but the British compararisons and frame of reference are familiar to most English-speaking readers, and Breen's writing style and sense of humor are - to me anyway - pluses.

Indeed, it is not an academic work - but nor does it claim to be. As a commentary it is far more readable than most tomes sitting on dusty universtiy library shelves.

Finally, to the reviewer who states that Breen's referencing of driving habits to the national psyche are fatuous, I would suggest that his analogy is right on target. When driving, Koreans fall outside the essential social circles (family, school, home-town, etc) that govern and, indeed, make up Korean society - so the resultant chaotic, competitive and often ugly conditions offer an up-close look at how Koreans operate when they are supposedly regulated by law - rather than customary social obligations.

But enough about previous reviews. For anyone seeking an general, engaged, personalized but insightful and enjoyable look at the Koreans - this book fits the bill.