A History of Contemporary Korea

This comprehensive historical analysis examines twentieth-century Korea from Japanese colonial occupation through the turbulent decades following liberation, including the devastating Korean War and subsequent political evolution of both Koreas. Distinguished historian Man-gil Kang provides meticulous documentation of anti-Japanese resistance movements while incorporating perspectives from North Korean scholarship, offering a uniquely balanced examination of the peninsula's divided trajectory.

What distinguishes this work is its refusal to simplify complex geopolitical realities into nationalist narratives, instead presenting the competing ideologies and international pressures that shaped modern Korea. Readers seeking to understand current tensions on the Korean peninsula will find essential context in Kang's detailed chronicle of how colonial trauma, civil war, and authoritarian regimes forged contemporary Korean identities. This translation makes accessible a crucial perspective that bridges academic rigor with the lived experiences of Koreans throughout a century of profound transformation.