I'm now re-reading "The Troubled Tiger," a book by Mark Clifford that I read as a graduate student more than a decade ago. It was homework then, but it's pleasure reading now. And that makes all the difference in the world. The book is in need of an update, but it's probably the most readable account out there about Korea's economic development. It reads like a good, long magazine article. I just got started and, as I go through it, I'll occasionally share things that surprise me in the book. For starters:
--Clifford compares Park Chung-hee, the nation builder, to Ataturk and Nasser and comments that Park's accomplishments are more enduring. Tough to argue with that one.
--Park flirted with communism when he was young. Didn't know that.
--One politician was quoted as saying that Park was "vaguely frightening" because he constantly wore dark glasses.
-Roger in DC
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Will definitely pick up this book on your recommendation. I think one of the best books on Korean history is "The Two Koreas" by Don Oberdorfer. It is very easy and enjoyable read. In this day and age it is hard to fathom a war like the Korean War and the total destruction and loss of lives it inflicted. When we are pained to hear about the few thousand troops lost in Iraq ... compared to the hundreds of thousands of people killed in the Korea War - it's sometimes hard to fathom. Also hard to fathom is the tremendous growth that South Korea, as a country, has displayed. This book is a great overview of Korea's "modern" history.
I'm just now reading Bruce Cumings "Korea's Place in the Sun" and also think it is decent though his somewhat "partisan" view is, frankly, a bit tiresome. Not as well written as "The Two Korea" and not as impactful in my opinion.
Look forward to getting the "Troubled Tiger." I notice it is re-released in paperback for around $30. Before, it was quite hard to find.
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