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A Brief History of Korea
- Isolation, War, Despotism and Revival: The Fascinating Story of a Resilient But Divided People
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
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A Brief History of Korea
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Publisher's Summary
Korea was one of the last countries in Asia to be visited by Westerners, and its borders have remained largely unchanged since it was unified in the seventh century. Though it is one of the world's oldest and most ethnically homogeneous states, Korea was not born in a vacuum. Geographically isolated, the country was heavily influenced by powerful China and was often used as a bridge to the mainland by Japan.
Calling themselves as "a shrimp among whales", Koreans borrowed elements of government, culture, and religion, all the while fiercely fighting to maintain independence from powerful neighbors. This fascinating book tells the story of Korean domestic dynasties, empires, and states, as well as foreign conquest, occupation, and division. Today, the two Koreas are starkly different - North Korea a nation closed to the world and South Korea an economic powerhouse and center of Asian democracy.
Chronicling significant events right up through 2018's Singapore Summit, author Michael J. Seth presents a relevant, interesting, and important history of Korea within a larger global context. Korea's history is a turbulent one, but ultimately the story of a resistant and resourceful people in search of lasting peace.
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What listeners say about A Brief History of Korea
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- LW
- 2023-04-23
Worth discovering -- with a critical mind
The impression after a few pages is frustrating for someone familiar with Korea: why select someone who has apparently no experience in Korean Studies to narrate this book? While listening, you wonder if there has been an alternate Korea, with similar locations, events, and names – but different. And we’re not talking about obscure characters or places: names as basic as Joseon and Goryeo were also mangled by the narrator.
It's unfortunate because the narrative itself is constructed in an engaging manner.
As a historian of Korea, I would have given it a higher overall rating, but I couldn’t help feeling a sense of dissatisfaction with some sections of the book discussing the period of divided Korea. There is no question that, with North Korea, we’re dealing with a totalitarian regime, but the book gives a rather lopsided representation of the two Koreas. The author should have acknowledged that North Korean history doesn’t boil down to the North Korean Kim dynasty and their antics, even though the book makes it seem that way. Perhaps he mostly stayed away from other topics because it’s more challenging to gather information about issues, such the economic development or domestic social policies in North Korea. Unfortunately, we end up with an understanding of post-WWII Korean history that reinforces the simplistic views produced by the propaganda in this part of the world.
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