White Badge [Paperback]

Junghyo Ahn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003

Han Kiju is an executive in modern Seoul, a Korean intellectual who has never adjusted to his postwar existence. When an old comrade-in-arms, a coward who crumpled in battle, begins to follow him, Han Kiju must finally deal with the ghosts of the past haunting his present.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This 1983 war novel by Korean journalist Ahn was a sensation in his native land, but will hold less interest for Western readers. A gritty, brutal account of the horrors of combat, told retrospectively by a man who lived through the Korean and Vietnam wars and now scouts foreign manuscripts for a publishing house, the narrative will startle readers by its familiarity. ("In my childhood war, everybody around me was in the same war," he writes. "But in Vietnam, we fought alone, by ourselves.") Ahn's depiction of war is evocative and relentless, but his hastily sketched characterizations rob his story of emotional vitality; as in old war movies, the members of the platoon depicted here are distinguishable only by their nicknames. An equally serious drawback is the author's rickety translation of his own work, which often strikes awkward notes.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Ahn Junghyo was born in Seoul in 1941, where he still resides. He studied literature at Sogang Jesuit University, then worked as reporter, columnist, and editor at the English-language Korea Times and Korea Herald. He has published three novels in Korea and has translated nearly a hundred books into his native language.

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Soho Press (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569470049
• ISBN-13: 978-1569470046
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #287,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Valuable Insight into the Vietnam War from a Non-American, December 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: White Badge (Paperback)

The author, who had served as a long time contributor to the English language news paper Korea Herald, opened a new chapter in Korea's literary genre. Until the publication of "White Badge," South Korean participation in the Vietnam War was a taboo in Korea, just as the Korean War had been a "Forgotten War" in the United States. Approximately 300,000 ROK troopers served in the war. Mr. Ahn's book sparked a new interest in Vietnam, which to most South Koreans had been a long forgotten country of the "boat people." A T.V. series depicting ROK troopers' dillema, struggle and death followed. "White Badge" was made into a highly acclaimed film in South Korea. Besides the awakening of South Korean conscousness to the war, the book delivers an important non-US-centric perspective. Ahn, through his portrayal of various characters in a ROK platoon, describes political and cultural dillema that many South Koreans were forced to face. Viet Congs were enemies, but at the same time, they were also patriots dedicated to their nation's independence. South Korean troopers were killing fellow Asians who were fighting for the same thing that their fathers and brothers had fought under the Japanese colonial rule--a national independence. Despite the fame and respect that Korean troops gained for their courage and brutal efficiency during their participation in the war from the American military, many were haunted by fears of death, dimemberment, and cowardice. The war left an indelible mark in the whole generation of those South Koreans who had participated in the war. For non-Korean readers, this book will provide an excellent and entertaining insight into the pschological impact of batterfield and post-war trauma experiences of ROK troops. With the South Korean President, Kim Tae-Chung's, recent apology to the Vietnamese for the ROK participation in the war, I hope that ROK veterans will be able to come to terms with their past as many American veterans have done by visiting the old battlefields of Vietnam.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the precise description of the Vietnam War, August 11, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Taejon, Korea) - See all my reviews

This review is from: White Badge: A Novel of Korea (Hardcover)

What does the Vietnam War mean to us?
Is it already a past or forgotten war?
No, this book shows us the real dark side of
any wars, to say nothing of the Vietnam War.
The ordinary characters in White Badge takes readers to the roots of human behavor-to despair and fear, humor and pathos, and perished one by one by the sniper, booby traps, some stupid accidents, skirmishes, etc,. but vividly
remained in readers mind.
Once you read it, you cannot close the book until the end because the book is full of exciting episodes and deeply moving human emotions.
As for the Korean readers, I think
it is the best book to read in English. Because
there is no need for understaning cultural undertones or historical backgrounds in this book. Remember how much difficulties we had
in reading 'To kill a mockingbird' and 'Gone with the wind'. It is also Asian story and written by an Asian person. To the westerners, this book will help understand the modern history of Korea and what our minds works. Sorry, with my
limited knowledge of English, I cannot fully express, in English, how good this book really is. Very intereting. I can guarantee.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting fictional historical perspective, September 13, 2010

By 

Nova74 - See all my reviews

This review is from: White Badge (Paperback)

Good book. Provides a rare look at the involvement of Korea in the Vietnam War. Book was in advertised condition. Prompt delivery!