Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Korea

by James E. Hoare

Overview

South Korea (Republic of Korea) is the more successful of the two Koreas in both economic and political terms. Even the Asian economic crisis of 1997–1998, which hit badly, was weathered successfully, and when the next crisis came along in 2007, South Korea coped better than many other countries. This economic strength, taken with the steady progress of democratization since 1987, indicates that when the peninsula is eventually reunified, as one day it probably will be, a new unified Korea will follow the South Korea model rather than that of North Korea.

This fourth edition of Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Korea contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities as well as aspects of the country’s politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Republic of Korea.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538119761
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/13/2020
Series:	Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	872
File size:	66 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

James E. Hoare was a member of the British Diplomatic Service from 1969 to 2003, perhaps his most important posting being as the first British representative to Pyongyang in 2001, but he also served at the British Embassies in Seoul and Beijing. Since retirement, he has been an occasional teacher and a writer and broadcaster.

Table of Contents

Editor’s Foreword

Preface

Reader’s Notes

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Maps

Chronology

Introduction

THE DICTIONARY

Appendix A: Government Structure of the Republic of Korea

Appendix B: Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Prime Ministers

Appendix C: Presidential Elections

Appendix D: National Assembly Elections

Appendix E: Text of the December 1991 Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-aggression and Exchanges and Cooperation between the South and the North

Appendix F: North-South Joint Declaration of 15 June 2000

Appendix G: North-South Joint Declaration of 15 June 2000

Appendix H: Panmunjom Declaration

Bibliography

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Korea is an essential purchase for an academic library specialising in Asian studies and libraries supporting undergraduates and postgraduate courses in Asian history and international relations. It aims to appeal to the specialist academic and the student looking to develop their knowledge, but there is a lot here for the general reader wishing to learn about South Korea. The introduction, in particular, is a fascinating account of the history of the country for a general reader. It would also be a useful reference companion for a secondary or sixth form student. This is an impressively comprehensive and informative historical dictionary that is eminently readable.

Reference Reviews

The year 2015 marks two significant milestones in Korea's history: the 70th anniversary of the peninsular division at the end of WW II (1945) into the communist Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the non-communist, pro-Western Republic of Korea (South Korea), and the 65th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War (1950). The echoes of these two seminal events still fuel tensions and influence politics in both states. The need for an informative overview of the Republic of Korea's history and the pace of change in both Koreas make a new release of this historical dictionary desirable. While retaining the same format as the 1993 and 2004 dictionaries, this third edition has been considerably expanded. The chronology and the introduction are longer to take account of events of the last decade. The main body has been lengthened from 313 to 525 pages. A number of larger issue-oriented entries (e.g., on education or the economy) have been rewritten, and new entries cover political, economic, cultural, scientific, and military developments during 1948–2014. Significant entries (e.g., on aspects of the Korean War) run longer, to four or five pages. As before, there is no subject index, but boldfaced cross-references and see also references point out related entries. All researchers will find the bibliographic essay and subject bibliographies very helpful. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All libraries. All levels.

Choice

The year 2015 marks two significant milestones in Korea's history: the 70th anniversary of the peninsular division at the end of WW II (1945) into the communist Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the non-communist, pro-Western Republic of Korea (South Korea), and the 65th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War (1950). The echoes of these two seminal events still fuel tensions and influence politics in both states. The need for an informative overview of the Republic of Korea's history and the pace of change in both Koreas make a new release of this historical dictionary desirable. While retaining the same format as the 1993 and 2004 dictionaries, this third edition has been considerably expanded. The chronology and the introduction are longer to take account of events of the last decade. The main body has been lengthened from 313 to 525 pages. A number of larger issue-oriented entries (e.g., on education or the economy) have been rewritten, and new entries cover political, economic, cultural, scientific, and military developments during 1948–2014. Significant entries (e.g., on aspects of the Korean War) run longer, to four or five pages. As before, there is no subject index, but boldfaced cross-references and see also references point out related entries. All researchers will find the bibliographic essay and subject bibliographies very helpful. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All libraries. All levels.

CHOICE