List of Tables and Figures = ix Preface to Third Editio = xi Prface to first Edition = xiii Acknowledgements = xv A Note on Korean Names = xix Introduction: Land, People, Problems = 1 Storm Center of East Asia = 2 Basic Geographic Facts = 3 Resources = 8 People = 9 History = 10 The Cultural Heritage = 12 Politics = 15 Economics = 18 International Relations and Security = 22 Notes = 24 2 Historical Background = 25 Origins = 27 Three Kingdoms Period = 28 Unified Korea = 29 Medieval Korea: The Choson (Yi) Dynasty = 31 The Imperialist and Colonial Period = 36 The Western Impact = 41 Lliberation and Divided Independence = 43 The Korean War = 49 Korea from the War to 1970 = 53 Developments Since 1970 = 56 Conclusion = 61 Notes = 63 3 Korean Society and Culture = 67 Introduction = 68 Family = 69 Community Life = 73 The Individual and Interpersonal Relations = 78 Attitudes and World View = 80 Education and Students = 83 Art and Literature = 91 Religion = 98 Social Welfare = 103 Environment = 105 Sports and Recreation = 107 Notes = 111 4 Politics and Government of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) = 115 Introduction = 116 Political Culture = 117 The Sixth Republic = 120 The Political Process in South Korea = 127 Politically Important Groups = 139 Constitution and Formal Government Structure = 152 Performance of the Political System = 158 Notes = 162 3 People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) = 165 Introduction = 166 Politic Culture = 167 Political Process = 171 The Legacy of Kim Il-sung = 174 The Korean Workers' Party = 176 Constitution and FormaI Government Oganization = 178 North Korean System Performance = 182 North Korea's Foreign Relations in the Early 1990s = 184 North Korea Under Kim Dong-il = 185 Prospects = 188 Notes = 189 6 Economics = 193 Introduction = 194 The Traditional Korean Economy = 194 The Economy Under the Japanese = 195 The Korean Economy, 1945-1960 = 196 South Korean Economic Development, 1961-1995 = 200South Korea's Current Economic Situation = 203 The International Component in South Korea's Economy = 216 South Korean Economic Prospects: The Seventh Five-Year Plan and Beyond = 219 Evolution of the North Korean Economy = 221 Present State of the North Korean Economy = 226 Prospects = 228 Notes = 228 7 Korean National Security and Foreign Relations = 233 Introduction = 234 Foreign Relations of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) = 237 Foreign Relations of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea(North Korea) = 255 Overseas Korean Residents as a Foreign-Policy Factor = 266 Notes = 268 8 The Problem of Korean Reunification = 271 Introduction = 272 Why Korea Was Divided = 272 The Case for Korean Unification = 276Unification Policies and Initiatives = 278 The Record on Unification in the 1990s = 286 Unification Prospects = 288Appendix A: Glossary = 291 Appendix B: The Korean Language and Its Romanization = 301 Appendix C: Korean Studies Reading List = 307 About the Book, the Author, and the Editor = 315 Index = 317.