Contemporary North and South Korea are nations of radical contrasts: one a bellicose totalitarian state with a failing economy; the other a peaceful democracy with a strong economy. Yet their people share a common history that extends back more than 3,000 years. In this comprehensive new history of Korea from the prehistoric era to the present day, Jinwung Kim recounts the rich and fascinating story of the political, social, cultural, economic, and diplomatic developments in Korea's long march to the present. He provides a detailed account of the origins of the Korean people and language and the founding of the first walled-town states, along with the advanced civilization that existed in the ancient land of "Unified Silla." Clarifying the often complex history of the Three Kingdoms Period, Kim chronicles the five-century long history of the Choson dynasty, which left a deep impression on Korean culture. From the beginning, China has loomed large in the history of Korea, from the earliest times when the tribes that would eventually make up the Korean nation roamed the vast plains of Manchuria and against whom Korea would soon define itself. Japan, too, has played an important role in Korean history, particularly in the 20th century; Kim tells this story as well, including the conflicts that led to the current divided state. The first detailed overview of Korean history in nearly a quarter century, this volume will enlighten a new generation of students eager to understand this contested region of Asia.

Table of Contents:
Introduction I. Dawn of the Korean Nation 1. The Prehistoric Age 2. The Origins of the Korean People 3. Old Chosŏn 4. Confederated Kingdoms II. The Period of the Three Kingdoms (57 BCE — 676 CE) 5. The Growth of Koguryŏ 6. The Rise and Decline of Paekche 7. The Rise and Growth of Silla 8. The Rise and Fall of Kaya 9. Silla's Unification 10. Political and Social Structure of the Three Kingdoms 11. Culture of the Three Kingdoms 12. The Three Kingdoms and Japan 13. "History War" with China III. Parhae, Unified Silla, and the Later Three Kingdoms (676 — 936) 14. Parhae's Rise and Growth 15. Government and Society of Unified Silla 16. Flourishing Culture of Unified Silla 17. The Later Three Kingdoms IV. The First Half of the Koryŏ Period (918 —1170) 18. Forging a Centralized Government 19. Ruling Structure 20. Economic and Social Structure 21. Foreign Relations in the Early Koryŏ Period 22. Development of Aristocratic Culture V. The Second Half of the Koryŏ Period (1170 – 1392) 23. Disturbing Koryŏ Society 24. Koryŏ and the Mongols 25. The Downfall of Koryŏ VI. The First Half of the Chosŏn Period (1392 – 1650) 26. Establishment of a New Order 27. Reorganization of the Ruling Structure 28. Social Structure and Economic Life 29. Territorial Expansion and Foreign Relations 30. Culture in Early Chosŏn 31. The Growth of the Neo-Confucian Literati 32. The Struggle with the Japanese and Manchus VII. The Second Half of the Chosŏn Period (1650 – 1910) 33. The Revival of the Dynasty 34. The Rehabilitation of Culture 35. The Dynasty in Disturbance 36. Culture in the 19th Century 37. Politics of the Taewŏn'gun 38. The Open Door Policy and the Reform Movement 39. The Tonghak Peasant War and the Kabo Reform 40. Japanese Aggression and the Downfall of Chosŏn VIII. The Period of Japanese Colonial Rule (1910 – 1945) 41. Government by Bayonet and the March First Movement 42. Japan's Shift to the "Cultural Policy" and Korean Nationalism 43. Japan's Tightening Grip on Korea and Korean Nationalism 44. Japan's Historical Distortions 45. Wartime Policy of the Allied Powers on Korea IX. Liberation, Division, and War (1945 – 1953) 46. From Occupation to a Separate Government in South Korea 47. Economic and Social Problems in South Korea 48. North Korea after Liberation 49. The Two Koreas before the Korean War 50. The Korean War X. The Period of Postwar Reconstruction (1953 – 1971) 51. The Establishment of Authoritarian Rule in South Korea 52. South Korean Economy and Society 53. South Korea's Relations with the United States and Japan 54. The Rise of the Juche (Chuch'e) State in North Korea 55. The North Korean Economy 56. North Korea's Foreign Relations XI. Reversal of Fortune (1972 – 1992) 57. From Autocratic Rule to Democracy in South Korea 58. The Prospering South Korean Economy 59. Militaristic South Korean Society 60. South Korea's Foreign Relations 61. The Totalitarian State in North Korea 62. The North Korean Economy 63. North Korea's Foreign Relations 64. North-South Korean Relations XII. Both Koreas in a New Phase (1993 – the Present) 65. South Korean Democracy in Full Bloom 66. South Korean Economy and Society 67. The Faltering Juche State in North Korea 68. North Korea's WMD Program 69. North-South Korean Relations 70. Shaking the ROK-U.S. Alliance 71. South Korea's Relations with Neighboring Countries 72. The Prospects for Reunification Timeline of Korean History Select Bibliography Index