The struggle between the two Koreas has repeatedly claimed the headlines of the world in acts of terrorism and heroism, showdowns over nuclear weapons programs on both sides of the lines, the sudden deaths of leaders, and historic turning points in the relationship with the outside powers of Japan, Russia, and China.Don Oberdorfer lived through many of these crises as a journalist for the Washington Post. Building on his extensive experience, many previously unavailable documents, and unparalleled access to the leadership circles of the two Korean states and the great powers, he has written a gripping narrative history of Korea’s travails and triumphs over the past quarter century. The involvement of the outside world—including a chilling account of the nuclear showdown that brought the United States perilously close to war with North Korea in 1994—receives extensive treatment and special emphasis.Korea represents the last vestige of the Cold War. The Two Koreas places that political tension within a historical context, looking at democratic South Korea and communist North Korea through the lens of the past twenty-five years. Oberdorfer’s work is the definitive text of contemporary Korea.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Oberdorfer first toured Korea in 1953 courtesy of the U.S. Army and returned often on the Asia beat for the Washington Post. In the present volume, his accounts of the conflicts of the last 20 years, appraisals of leaders based on interviews in Korea, Japan, Washington, and Moscow, and incisive policy analysis form a detailed and insightful history of North and South Korean politics and U.S. policy. Particularly engrossing is the analysis of relations between Moscow and Washington and their defiant clients, which turned domestic rifts into world conflict from the 1950s through the potentially nuclear crisis of 1994 and the present famine. The obvious comparison is with Bruce Cumings's commanding Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History (LJ 2/15/97). Cumings analyzes the evolution and nature of Korea's political economy over the last few centuries. Oberdorfer brings to life the events, leaders, and decisions of the last 20 years. Larger public and academic collections will want both volumes.?Charles Hayford, Evanston, Ill.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
An old Asia hand offers a briefing that's more notable for the breadth than for the depth with which it addresses the issues still dividing North from South Korea. Oberdorfer (The Turn, 1991, etc.) starts his narrative in 1972, the first time that Pyongyang representatives had openly visited Seoul since the peninsular country was partitioned in the wake of WW II, and then reviews the ongoing negotiations on reunification. The author (a former Far East correspondent for the Washington Post) goes on to detail the South's blood-sport approach to politics at a time when the continued presence of Kim Il Sung lent the North a measure of stability. By way of example, the KCIA gunned down Park Chung Hee, opening the way for Chun Do Hwan. Following deadly riots in 1987, another would-be strongman, Roh Tae Woo, bested reformers Kim Dae Jung and Kim Young Sam for the presidency, leaving him to oversee the 1988 Olympiad successfully staged in Seoul. In the meantime, Beijing gave Seoul a jolt, following Moscow's lead and establishing diplomatic relations with South Korea. Shortly before the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's founding father died in mid-1994, the wider world and Washington became gravely concerned about the Red state's nuclear capabilities. Jimmy Carter helped avert a full-blown crisis, however, and Kim's son (Kim Jong Il), who inherited an economy on the rocks, is coping as best he can with famine and a host of other daunting internal problems. Yet the impoverished North continues its efforts to subvert the flourishing South. Even so, Oberdorfer is reluctant to predict whether, let alone when, the two Koreas will be reunited. Indeed, he exits on the breezy note that there's no telling what may happen in a country so full of surprises. A fine overview of Korea's recent past, which will leave most readers frustrated by its lack of analysis on what might lie ahead for this divided nation. (b&w photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely readable -- a valuable addition to my library,
By Joe the Critic (San Jose Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History (Paperback)
I was pleasantly surprised at how well-written this book is. Oberdorfer knows his subject, and he is clearly a top-knotch journalist. Unlike a previous reveiewer, I don't find his writing dry at all -- compared to most history books, it is gripping and entertaining, and does a good job of describing the key players and major events without bogging down in trivia.
Having grown up during the 70's and 80's (and having lost a relative to the Korean conflict), I'm fascinated to learn more about the events that were unfolding at the periphery of American consciousness during the administrations of Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., and Clinton. Despite recent developments in North Korea's nuclear standoff, the book doesn't feel out of date, as the situation today is little different than when this book was written. Highly recommended for those with an interest in East Asia, international affairs, or geopolitics.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Contemporary readable history of modern Korea,
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This review is from: The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History (Hardcover)
I had the good fortune to read this book while I was in Korea during the recent presidential election and currency devaluation. The background on Kim Dae Jung, the president elect, made my time in Korea more interesting. The author retells in detail how the peninsula was almost embroiled in war over the tree cutting incident in the DMZ along with many other chilling stories that were difficult to fully understand when they were happening. Well worth reading if you are interested in what is happening in modern Korea.
9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Informative and interesting but a bit dry,
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This review is from: The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History (Paperback)
overall, it is a very good book. It has tons of information, and one learns just how precarious the Korean Penisula has been since the Armistace back in 1953 (i think that's the correct year). The only issue I have with the book is it is a bit on the dry side and it is clear a journalist wrote the book. That is, it does not go in-depth much, but instead just spits out the facts and tells it like it happened. In other words, don't expect much analysis of the events or the people involved in those events.
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