Table Of ContentHalftitle Page Page: 2
Title Page Page: 3
Contents Page: 4
List of Images and Boxes Page: 5
Preface to the Third Edition Page: 6
Preface to the Second Edition Page: 7
Note on Romanization Page: 8
Maps of Korea and East Asia Page: 9
Brief Chronology of Korean Political History Page: 10
Introduction Page: 11
1 Goguryeo and Early Korea Page: 12
Battle of Salsu River, 612 Page: 12
Ancient Korea and Goguryeo Page: 12
Rise and Fall of Goguryeo Page: 13
The Pull of Ancient History Page: 14
2 Queen Seondeok and Silla’s Unification Page: 16
Silla’s Dispatch of an Embassy to Goguryeo, 642 Page: 16
Buddhism and Power Page: 16
Legends of the Unification Page: 17
Silla’s “Winning” Features Page: 17
3 The Maturation and Decline of Unified Silla Page: 20
Assassination of Jang Bogo, 846 Page: 20
Jang Bogo, Choe Chiwon, and Unified Silla Society Page: 20
Silla and Northeast Asia Page: 21
Local Strongmen and the End of Silla Page: 22
4 Elements of Goryeo’s Founding Page: 23
The Issuance of Wang Geon’s “Ten Injunctions,” 943 Page: 23
“Great Founder of Korea” Page: 23
Vision of the Ten Injunctions Page: 24
Legacy Page: 25
5 Religion and Regionalism in the Goryeo Order Page: 26
The Outbreak of the Myocheong Rebellion, 1135 Page: 26
The Institutionalized Influence of the Buddhist Clergy Page: 26
Myocheong’s Rebellion Page: 27
Aftermath Page: 27
6 Survival and Adaptation in the Mongol Overlord Period Page: 30
The Marriage of Lady Gi to the Yuan Emperor, 1340 Page: 30
The Mongol Conquest Page: 30
Goryeo Women in the Mongol Empire Page: 32
7 Competing Views of the Goryeo–Joseon Transition Page: 34
Yi Bangwon’s Purge of Jeong Dojeon, 1398 Page: 34
Jeong Dojeon: From Mastermind to Political Power Page: 34
A Renaissance, Revolution, or Coup? Page: 35
Taejong’s Impact Page: 36
8 Confucianism and the Family in the Early Joseon Era Page: 37
The Drafting of Lady Yi’s Will, 1541 Page: 37
Early Joseon Confucianism Page: 37
Confucian Family Law and Women’s Standing Page: 38
9 Surviving the Great Invasions, 1592–1637 Page: 40
The Return of Admiral Yi Sunsin, 1597 Page: 40
Problems in the Korean Response Page: 40
Narratives of Heroism Page: 41
The Regional Order Remade Page: 42
10 Ideology, Family, and Nationhood in the Mid-Joseon Era Page: 44
The Birth of a Son to Lady Jang, 1688 Page: 44
King Sukjong’s Triangles Page: 44
Influential Females Page: 45
Latency of the Mid-Joseon Order Page: 46
11 Intellectual Opening in the Late Eighteenth Century Page: 48
The Return of Bak Jega to Korea, 1778 Page: 48
Utility for the Greater Good Page: 48
The Sprouts of Modernity? Page: 49
12 Popular Culture and Society in the Late Joseon Era Page: 52
Publication of Observations from the Countryside, 1862 Page: 52
Tales of the People Page: 52
Other Cultural Forms Page: 53
Popular Culture and Social Consciousness Page: 53
13 Nineteenth-Century Unrest Page: 55
The Appearance of the General Sherman, 1866 Page: 55
The Nineteenth-Century Issue and Internal Problems Page: 55
The Arrival of Imperialism Page: 56
14 1894, A Fateful Year Page: 59
Start of the Gabo Reforms, 1894 Page: 59
The Donghak Spark Page: 59
A Shrimp Caught in a Whale Fight Page: 60
Spirit of Gabo Page: 60
15 Rise and Fall of the Great Korean Empire Page: 62
Opening of the Seoul–Incheon Rail Line, 1899 Page: 62
Korea and the New Empires Page: 62
Trade and Industry Page: 63
The Spirit of Enlightenment Page: 64
16 Responses to the Japanese Takeover, 1904–18 Page: 66
Secret Mission to the Hague, 1907 Page: 66
Autonomy and Modern History Page: 66
Force and Pushback Page: 67
The Deft Hand of Conquest Page: 68
17 Stirrings of Social Change in the Long 1920s Page: 70
Opening of a Special Exhibition of Na Hyeseok’s Paintings, 1921 Page: 70
The March First Movement and Its Offshoots Page: 70
Korean Females in the New Age Page: 71
Religion and Social Change Page: 73
18 Nation, Culture, and Everyday Life in the Late Colonial Period Page: 74
Doctoring of a Newspaper Photo, 1936 Page: 74
Expression, Within Limits Page: 74
The Cornerstone of Modern Culture Page: 74
The Quotidian Revelations of Modern Life Page: 75
19 Wrenching Trials of Wartime Mobilization, 1938–45 Page: 78
Visit by Authors Yi Gwangsu and Choe Namseon to Japan, 1943 Page: 78
Industrialization and State Domination Page: 78
Resignation, Collaboration, and Modern Identity Page: 79
The Grand Narrative: Independence Movements Page: 80
20 Promises and Perils of the Liberation Period, 1945–50 Page: 82
Elections in Southern Korea, 1948 Page: 82
The Primacy of Politics: A Multi-lateral Dynamic Page: 82
Implanting the Southern System Page: 83
Troubling Historical Shadows Page: 85
21 Multiple Sides of the Korean War Page: 86
The Hungnam Evacuation, 1950 Page: 86
Civil Wars Amid the Cold War Page: 86
6 –25 Page: 87
Chinese Intervention, the Stalemate, and National Memories Page: 87
22 History and Autonomy in Early North Korea Page: 89
The Juche Speech, 1955 Page: 89
Liberation Space North Korea Page: 89
Ideals and Realities of the Formative '50s Page: 90
Juche, History, and Legitimacy Page: 91
23 Striving for Revolution in 1960s South Korea Page: 93
Student Demonstrations Against the Normalization of Relations With Japan, 1964 Page: 93
Dictatorship, Democracy, and Revolutions Page: 93
Park Chung Hee Page: 94
Economic Takeoff Page: 94
Youth and Angst Page: 96
24 Culture and Politics in 1970s South Korea Page: 97
Publication of Kim Jiha’s “Five Bandits,” 1970 Page: 97
The Yusin Decade Page: 97
Literary Resistance Page: 98
Mass Culture Under Yusin Page: 99
25 Monumental Life in North Korea Page: 101
Construction of the Ryugyong Hotel, 1987 Page: 101
The Historical Challenge Page: 101
Famine and Aftermath Page: 101
Monumental Life Page: 103
Tragedy of History Page: 104
26 South Korea’s Extended Democratization Page: 106
A Declaration of Findings, 1987 Page: 106
Prelude: Gwangju, May 1980 Page: 106
The Democracy Generation Page: 107
Breaking Through in 1987 Page: 107
Aftermath Page: 109
27 South Korean Renewal in the Early Twenty-First Century Page: 110
Quarterfinal Match Versus Spain, 2002 Page: 110
Economic Growth: A Reconsideration Page: 110
Women and Family: Seismic Shifts Page: 111
Toward a New Era Page: 112
The Pendulum of South Korean Politics Page: 112
Epilogue: Historical Reckoning in the Two Koreas, 2010–2020 Page: 114
Passings in North Korea Page: 114
Shocks in South Korean Politics and Economy Page: 115
Historical Settlement Page: 116
Societal Churning Page: 117
References and Further Readings Page: 119
Index Page: 128
eCopyright Page: 136
Description:Dynamic and meticulously researched, A History of Korea continues to be one of the leading introductory textbooks on Korean history. Assuming no prior knowledge, Hwang guides readers from early state formation and the dynastic eras to the modern experience in both North and South Korea. Structured around episodic accounts, each chapter begins by discussing a defining moment in Korean history in context, with an extensive examination of how the events and themes under consideration have been viewed up to the present day. By engaging with recurring themes such as collective identity, external influence, social hierarchy, family and gender, the author introduces the major historical events, patterns and debates that have shaped both North and South Korea over the past 1500 years. This textbook is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of Korean or Asian history. The first half of the book covers pre-20th century history, and the second half the modern era, making it ideal for survey courses.
