Korea

A New History of South and North

By: Victor Cha, Ramon Pacheco Pardo

Narrated by: Julian Elfer

A major new history of North and South Korea, from the late nineteenth century to the present day

Korea has a long, riveting history—it is also a divided nation. South Korea is a vibrant democracy, the tenth largest economy, and is home to a world-renowned culture. North Korea is ruled by the most authoritarian regime in the world, a poor country in a rich region, and is best known for the cult of personality surrounding the ruling Kim family. But both Koreas share a unique common history.

Victor Cha and Ramon Pacheco Pardo draw on decades of research to explore the history of modern Korea, from the late nineteenth century, Japanese occupation, and Cold War division to the present day. A small country caught amongst the world's largest powers—including China, Japan, Russia, and the United States—Korea's fate has been closely connected to its geography and the strength of its leadership and society. This comprehensive history sheds light on the evolving identities of the two Koreas, explaining the sharp differences between North and South, and prospects for unification.

©2023 Victor D. Cha and Ramon Pacheco Pardo (P)2023 Tantor

Good but Offers Little New Insight

Having lived in South Korea for three years from 2005-08, I am always excited for new histories of South Korea. This one is good but didn’t really offer anything I haven’t read in other solid histories (I found the authors’ disparaging remarks of previous offerings in the prologue to be a little off-putting) or from the Asia section in the Economist. The period from 2010-2023 especially I found woefully generic and the insight the authors from their personal experience to not really be all that groundbreaking. Still though, anyone new to the topic won’t be disappointed, it is told really well in an easy-to-digest manner.

Comprehensive and fascinating.

A great read for me, a person trying to get a grasp on the culture and history.

Clean and a quick view of Korean Geopolitics over the last century

Provides a basic view from above. Little history from below. Useful but not the most interesting. Well narrated.

Thoughtful history, co-written which adds value

I studied East Asia in college, but my focus was Japan and China. Still, I have some knowledge of Korean history, have periodically visited starting in 1975, and a close Korean friend was involved in the Six Party talks from the start.

This is an excellent history, squeezing a lot into a small package, with telling anecdotes from the authors’ personal experience. I didn’t find any particular biases, except that they avoid the issue of what happens to the North’s weapons in the event of reunification. That is something national security types in Japan, China and Russia worry about, and since I know some of the principals I know it comes up in the circles in which they move.

I don’t follow popular culture, and was fascinated by their discussion. I now have a deeper knowledge of how the North’s politics developed. Their treatment of economic issues is fine and approachable by non-specialists (I’m an economist). I learned even there, on the ebb and flow of informal markets in the North.

In summary, kudos!

A good width and depth enough to gain a comprehensive understanding

The reader should know to read the Chinese characters in Korean, not in Chinese (eg. DAE not TAI). Also not to read words in syllables, not with Western linguistic conventions (eg. when the letter H is involved)