The Two Koreas - 3rd Edition by Don Oberdorfer & Robert Carlin (Paperback)

About the Book

"Ever since Korea was first divided at the end of World War II, the tension between its northern and southern halves has riveted-and threatened to embroil-the rest of the world. In this landmark history, now thoroughly revised and updated in conjunction with Korea expert Robert Carlin, veteran journalist Don Oberdorfer grippingly describes how a historically homogenous people became locked in a perpetual struggle for supremacy-and how they might yet be reconciled"--

Book Synopsis

An acclaimed history of the Korean Peninsula from World War II to the present day

North Korea is an impoverished, famine-ridden nation, but it is also a nuclear power whose dictator Kim Jong-un regularly threatens his neighbors and adversaries, the United States in particular, with destruction. Even though Kim and President Donald Trump's responses to him dominate the daily headlines, the idea that North Korea is a menace is not a new one. Indeed, ever since Korea was first divided at the end of World War II, the tension between its northern and southern halves has riveted-and threatened to embroil -- the rest of the world. In this landmark history, veteran journalist Don Oberdorfer and Korea expert Robert Carlin grippingly describe how a historically homogenous people became locked in a perpetual struggle for supremacy -- and how other nations including the United States have tried, and failed, to broker a lasting peace.

Review Quotes

"[A] gripping narrative.... The Two Koreas is a masterful analysis of one of the enduring Achilles' heels of US foreign policy."--Los Angeles Review of Books

"[A] lucid, balanced, thoroughly credible account of the last 25 years on both sides of the armistice line."--NewYork Times Book Review

"[Oberdorfer's] gripping narrative should chasten our leaders and inform our citizenry about the continuing perils and costs of America's involvement with Korea...Oberdorfer is often definitive on that subject, deploying information that even specialists do not know."--Bruce Cumings, Los Angeles Times

"A comprehensive and informative...account of postwar Korean history, from the Korean War to the rise of democracy in the South to the nuclear-weapons crisis in the North."--The Globe and Mail

"A most timely book to understand what could happen if North Korea implodes or attacks South Korea."
--St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Combining the depth and authority of a first-rate textbook with the readability of a good novel, [The Two Koreas] has proven to be a wonderful teaching tool for instructors and students alike."
--Carter J. Eckert, Professor of Korean History, Harvard University

"Engrossing, informative, wise. A rare achievement, the best account yet of a tragically divided country."
--Ezra Vogel, Director, Asia Center, Harvard University

"Oberdorfer is one of America's keenest analysts of the international scene."
--James A. Baker III, former U.S. Secretary of State

"Riveting.... The Two Koreas majestically fulfills Oberdorfer's goal of drawing attention to the role outside powers have played in the two Koreas' history."
--WashingtonPost

"This truly important work will, without question, become the standard against which other books on modern Korea will be judged."
--Donald P. Gregg, former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea

"What emerges from The Two Koreas is a portrait of precisely why the peninsula is so volatile: two rivals competing for national legitimacy in a culture where compromise is tantamount to defeat.... Oberdorfer refrains from punditry and predictions, letting his powerful material tell the story."
--BostonGlobe

About the Author

Don Oberdorfer wrote for the Washington Post for twenty-five years, and was later on the Chairman of the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He died in 2015.

Robert Carlin is a Visiting Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University and former chief of the Northeast Asia Division in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S. Department of State. He lives in Washington, D.C.