“I am most grateful for two things: that I was born in North Korea, and that I escaped from North Korea.” - Yeonmi Park"One of the most harrowing stories I have ever heard - and one of the most inspiring." - The Bookseller“Park's remarkable and inspiring story shines a light on a country whose inhabitants live in misery beyond comprehension. Park's important memoir showcases the strength of the human spirit and one young woman's incredible determination to never be hungry again.” —Publishers WeeklyIn In Order to Live, Yeonmi Park shines a light not just into the darkest corners of life in North Korea, describing the deprivation and deception she endured and which millions of North Korean people continue to endure to this day, but also onto her own most painful and difficult memories. She tells with bravery and dignity for the first time the story of how she and her mother were betrayed and sold into sexual slavery in China and forced to suffer terrible psychological and physical hardship before they finally made their way to Seoul, South Korea—and to freedom. Park confronts her past with a startling resilience. In spite of everything, she has never stopped being proud of where she is from, and never stopped striving for a better life. Indeed, today she is a human rights activist working determinedly to bring attention to the oppression taking place in her home country. Park’s testimony is heartbreaking and unimaginable, but never without hope. This is the human spirit at its most indomitable. Read more

This narrative tells the life story of Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the Second Coming of Christ, the Return of Jesus in Spirit and Power, the coming of the Spirit of Truth. It is from his own words from various speeches. It was compiled into 34 articles which appeared in a church publication called Today's World Magazine beginning in April, 2007, and ending in September, 2011.Rev. Moon starts by explaining the environment surrounding the village where he was born under Japanese occupation and introduces many of his familial relations.He gives many details of his personality, his love of nature, and experiences growing through childhood in war-torn Korea.On April 17, 1935, he was called by Jesus and began having profound experiences with all manner of beings and historical Biblical figures in the spiritual world.This compilation of articles will stand as an historical record of the monumental quest that was required to fulfill the mission of the Second Coming of Christ. Through unimaginable mental and physical suffering, even torture unto death, Sun Myung Moon, endured and emerged to build a world wide church of millions of members and foundations in every aspect of society for the future Kingdom of God on earth.His fundamental teaching, called the Divine Principle, is the revelation from God that Jesus proclaimed would come on the earth in John 16:13, "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth." Read more

“A comprehensive and impressively written history of the Korean War.”—Washington PostSelected for the 2019 Commandant's Professional Reading List Updated with maps, photographs, and battlefield diagrams, this special fiftieth anniversary edition of the classic history of the Korean War is a dramatic and hard-hitting account of the conflict written from the perspective of those who fought it. Partly drawn from official records, operations journals, and histories, it is based largely on the compelling personal narratives of the small-unit commanders and their troops. Unlike any other work on the Korean War, it provides both a clear panoramic overview and a sharply drawn "you were there" account of American troops in fierce combat against the North Korean and Chinese communist invaders. As Americans and North Koreans continue to face each other across the 38th Parallel, This Kind of Warcommemorates the past and offers vital lessons for the future.  Read more

An explosive exposé of Samsung that "reads like a dynastic thriller, rolling through three generations of family intrigue, embezzlement, bribery, corruption, prostitution, and other bad behavior" (The Wall Street Journal).Longlisted for the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year AwardBased on years of reporting on Samsung for The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, and Time, from his base in South Korea, and his countless sources inside and outside the company, Geoffrey Cain offers a penetrating look behind the curtains of the biggest company nobody in America knows. Seen for decades in tech circles as a fast follower rather than an innovation leader, Samsung today has grown to become a market leader in the United States and around the globe. They have captured one quarter of the smartphone market and have been pushing the envelope on every front. Forty years ago, Samsung was a rickety Korean agricultural conglomerate that produced sugar, paper, and fertilizer, located in a backward country with a third-world economy. With the rise of the PC revolution, though, Chairman Lee Byung-chul began a bold experiment: to make Samsung a major supplier of computer chips. The multimillion-dollar plan was incredibly risky. But Lee, wowed by a young Steve Jobs, who sat down with the chairman to offer his advice, became obsessed with creating a tech empire. And in Samsung Rising, we follow Samsung behind the scenes as the company fights its way to the top of tech. It is one of Apple’s chief suppliers of technology critical to the iPhone, and its own Galaxy phone outsells the iPhone. Today, Samsung employs over 300,000 people (compared to Apple’s 80,000 and Google’s 48,000). The company’s revenues have grown more than 40 times from that of 1987 and make up more than 20 percent of South Korea’s exports. Yet their disastrous recall of the Galaxy Note 7, with numerous reports of phones spontaneously bursting into flames, reveals the dangers of the company’s headlong attempt to overtake Apple at any cost. A sweeping insider account, Samsung Rising shows how a determined and fearless Asian competitor has become a force to be reckoned with. Read more

This book (ISBN 9791188195602) is in BLACK AND WHITE If you want the color version, please consider the following options:1. Color Paperback - ISBN 97911881956192. Color Mass Market Paperback (Cheaper) - ISBN 97911881957013. Color Hardcover - ISBN 9791188195626Before reading this book, you probably had some moments of curiosity in your life where you questioned certain things about Korean culture. Why is there an American cola company's logo on the Korean flag? Why do Korean kids in my class only have like… three last names (Kim, Lee, Park)?If you are a K-Drama addict, and even took the time to watch variety shows with your favorite idols, your thoughts and interest towards Korea may have grown even deeper! Also, you may wonder why you become a year older as soon as arriving in Korea, why there's so much drama in those street tent bars, and how Koreans drink so much soju from those green bottles. And, probably the question on everyone’s mind in 2022, why is K-pop so dang popular (honorable mention: What the heck does “Gangnam Style” mean)?Well, if you get lost in translation, you can simply look up the word in the dictionary, but what if you get lost between cultures and there's no one to kindly tell you what's going on? You can get by with a lucky guess, but you are missing a valuable opportunity to learn about Korean culture indepthly!Regardless of who you are and where you come from – a K-Pop/K-Drama fanatic, an expat living in Korea, a student who just got accepted to study abroad in Korea (congrats!), or even a second-generation Gyopo from the Korean diaspora, you no longer have to stay puzzled and irritated by not being able to understand the peculiarities you find in Korea overall!With over 350 essential topics and most frequently asked questions that are hand-picked from 27 categories, covering virtually every aspect of Korean culture by laying out all the details on the “Five Ws (Who, What, When, Where, Why) and How”, you can fully understand Korean culture inside and out!Most importantly, we’ve written this book with people like you in mind, so having zero knowledge about Korea is absolutely fine! However, if you are the proud K-Culture know-it-all of your friend group you can put your knowledge to the test and even learn some new interesting facts to surprise your friends with by jumping between sections of your choice.To maximize your learning, we’ve included the following in every section!- Scannable Codes For YouTube Clips : Let’s see how Koreans do it in real life! Simply scan the codes with your smartphone and you will be taken to amazing YouTube clips.- Must-See Korean Dramas and Movies: We’ve carefully selected a list of titles that can help you further appreciate the topic.- Must-Know Terms and People : We’ve marked important Korean terms with Bold and Italics so you can use them as a study aid!By the time you’ve finished the last chapter, you will have learned so much about Korea, including all the minute details! (E.g., Why do Koreans love sitting on the floor? Why is it rude to pour drinks with one hand?)An added bonus is that Korean dramas, movies, and K-Pop music videos and lyrics will mean so much more the next time you see them (Hey, you will have the ability to accurately identify all the Korean drama clichés)! Also, if someone compliments you for having a “small face,” you will know that the correct way to respond is saying “Thank you.”Now let’s start this book with an example of “Bbali Bbali” culture - hurry up and start reading! Read more

If you want to discover the captivating history of Korea, then keep reading... Free History BONUS Inside! The Korean Peninsula today is divided into two, but there was a time when this peninsula was divided into many states. Over the course of time, and besieged by expansive transient dynasties outside of this modest piece of land, many clans and tribes overran their lands. Of all those malicious and greedy potential overlords, none managed to prevail. The soil is rich with the blood of the people who made Korea happen, and it is the Korean people who rose victorious among the maelstrom of dead empires led by hated tyrants and wars fought by people in lands far beyond their own. The Koreans are survivors, known for their persistence and courage. In History of Korea: A Captivating Guide to Korean History, Including Events Such as the Mongol Invasions, the Split into North and South, and the Korean War, you will discover topics such as Land of the BearThe Dragon of the East SeaDynasties Rise and FallThe Joseon Dynasty of GoryeoForeign InvasionsMerchants, Farmers, and ForeignersFrom Independence to AnnexationKorea at WarNorth KoreaSouth KoreaAnd much, much more!So if you want to learn more about the history of Korea, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button! Read more

"Passionate, cantankerous, and fascinating. Rather like Korea itself."--Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times Book Review Korea has endured a "fractured, shattered twentieth century," and this updated edition brings Bruce Cumings's leading history of the modern era into the present. The small country, overshadowed in the imperial era, crammed against great powers during the Cold War, and divided and decimated by the Korean War, has recently seen the first real hints of reunification. But positive movements forward are tempered by frustrating steps backward. In the late 1990s South Korea survived its most severe economic crisis since the Korean War, forcing a successful restructuring of its political economy. Suffering through floods, droughts, and a famine that cost the lives of millions of people, North Korea has been labeled part of an "axis of evil" by the George W. Bush administration and has renewed its nuclear threats. On both sides Korea seems poised to continue its fractured existence on into the new century, with potential ramifications for the rest of the world. 25 illustrations Read more

Listed in the best books of 2023 by The Economist "Invigorating debut . . . [a] full-throated rallying cry." —Publishers Weekly One of Ms. Magazine's "most-anticipated feminist books of 2023" An eye-opening firsthand account of the ongoing and trailblazing feminist movement in South Korea—one that the world should be watching. Since the beginning of the #MeToo movement, tens of thousands of people in South Korea have taken to the street, and many more brave individuals took a stand, to end a decades-long abortion ban and bring down powerful men accused of sexual misconduct—including a popular presidential contender. South Korean feminists know that the revolution has been a long time coming, between battles against its own patriarchal society as well as challenging stereotypes of docile Asian women in the Western imagination. Now, author Hawon Jung will show the rest of the world that these women are no delicate flowers—they are trailblazing flames. Flowers of Fire takes the reader into the trenches of this fight for equality, following along as South Korean activists march on the streets, navigate public and private spaces where spycam porn crimes are rampant, and share tips and tricks with each other as they learn how to protect themselves from harassment and how to push authorities to act. Jung, the former Seoul correspondent for the AFP, draws on her on-the-ground reporting and interviews with many women who became activists and leaders, from the elite prosecutor who ignited the country’s #MeToo movement to the young women who led the war against non-consensual photography. Their stories, though long overlooked in the West, mirror realities that women across the world are all too familiar with: threats of defamation lawsuits to silence victims of assault, tech-based sexual abuse, and criminal justice systems where victims’ voices are often met with suspicion and abusers’ downfalls are met with sympathy. These are the issues at the heart of their #MeToo movement, and South Korean women have fought against them vigorously—and with extraordinary success. In Flowers of Fire, Jung illuminates the strength and tenacity of these women, too often sidelined in global conversations about feminism and gender equality. Read more

The Koreans: understanding a people and their culture through key words and language.Koreans have a unique character and personality that sets them apart from all other Asians. And although Korean attitudes and behavior may be influenced by the modern world, the Korean mindset is still very much shaped by ancient culture and traditions. As is the case with all ancient cultures created within highly refined and meticulously structured social systems over thousands of years, one of the keys to understanding traditional Korean attitudes and behavior is the language of the people—or more precisely, key words in the language. These key words provide access to the Korean mind—to core concepts and emotions, the attitudes and feelings that make up the Korean psyche. These key terms reveal both the heart and soul of Koreans and provide bridges for communicating and interacting with Koreans on the most fundamental level.In The Korean Mind, Boye Lafayette De Mente explores the meanings and cultural context of the most important "code words" of the Korean language, terms whose significance goes well beyond their literal definitions, providing an insight into Korean culture and the personality of the Korean people.Keywords include:Aboji, Ah-boh-jee — The "Father Culture"Anae, Ah-negh — Wives: The Inside PeopleHan Yak, Hahn Yahk — The Herbal Way to HealthInnae, Een-nay — A Culture of EnduringKatun Sosuy Pap, Kaht-unn Soh-suut Pahp — Eating from the Same Rice BowlAnd over 200 more… Read more

A major new history of North and South Korea, from the late nineteenth century to the present day  “Cha and Pacheco Pardo have years of expertise in Korean international relations. . . . A crisp and balanced account.”—Christopher Harding, The Telegraph   Korea has a long, riveting history—it is also a divided nation. South Korea is a vibrant democracy, the tenth largest economy, and is home to a world-renowned culture. North Korea is ruled by the most authoritarian regime in the world, a poor country in a rich region, and is best known for the cult of personality surrounding the ruling Kim family. But both Koreas share a unique common history.   Victor Cha and Ramon Pacheco Pardo draw on decades of research to explore the history of modern Korea, from the late nineteenth century, Japanese occupation, and Cold War division to the present day. A small country caught amongst the world’s largest powers—including China, Japan, Russia, and the United States—Korea’s fate has been closely connected to its geography and the strength of its leadership and society. This comprehensive history sheds light on the evolving identities of the two Koreas, explaining the sharp differences between North and South, and prospects for unification. Read more

Featuring full-color artwork, this book describes and illustrates the Chinese and North Korean troops who fought US and UN forces in Korea during 1950–53.In June 1950, North Korean forces armed and equipped by the Soviet Union invaded South Korea, forcing back the US and South Korean troops facing them and threatening them with complete defeat. After the US and UN forces mounted a series of counter-offensives, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army crossed into the Korean Peninsula and entered the fray; the conflict would continue for three years until the armistice of July 1953, and tensions remain high today.The exploits of the North Korean and Chinese forces in the Korean War are renowned, but many misconceptions have grown up about these armies. In this study, carefully chosen photographs and specially commissioned artwork combine with authoritative text to reveal the evolving organization, tactics, uniforms, insignia and equipment of these formidable Communist troops during three years of warfare in the Korean Peninsula. Benjamin Lai and Zhao Guoxing reveal the real story of the North Korean and Chinese troops engaged in the Korean War, setting the record straight and deepening our understanding of the conflict. Read more

While popular trends, cuisine, and long-standing political tension have made Korea familiar in some ways to a vast English-speaking world, its recorded history of some two millennia remains unfamiliar to most. Korea: A History addresses general readers, providing an up-to-date, accessible overview of Korean history from antiquity to the present. Eugene Y. Park draws on original-language sources and the up-to-date synthesis of East Asian and Western-language scholarship to provide an insightful account. This book expands still-limited English-language discussions on pre-modern Korea, offering rigorous and compelling analyses of Korea's modernization while discussing daily life, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ history, and North Korean history not always included in Korea surveys. Overall, Park is able to break new ground on questions and debates that have been central to the field of Korean studies since its inception. Read more

What would happen if the maniacal tyranny in Pyongyang took over the vibrant democracy of South Korea? Today, there is a real possibility that the destitute North Korean regime will soon dominate its thriving southern neighbor, with help from the government in Seoul itself. More than any South Korean president before him, Moon Jae-in is intent on achieving Korean union, even if it’s done on Pyongyang’s terms. To that end, he has been making South Korea compatible with the totalitarian North, and distinctly less free. He is also removing defenses to infiltration and invasion and taking steps to end his country’s only real guarantee of security, the alliance with the United States. If Moon’s policy results in handing Kim Jong Un a “final victory” and South Korea falls to despotism, America will lose the anchor of its western defense perimeter, and the free world will be at risk. Read more

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. Read more

A powerful ancient story of indigenous Korea about the creation of the universe, the dawn of humanity, and more.Now available in English for the first time, with an overview of Korean ShamanismAn essential resource for those seeking to connect with deep Korean ancestral wisdom.The original text of Budoji was written by Jesang Park (363 – 419 CE), a loyal official of the Silla Kingdom of ancient Korea. It was a chapter in a larger collection of books titled Jing Shim Rok, which was passed down through Park’s family over many generations. It was later introduced to the world in 1953 by one of his descendants.In Budoji: A Tale of the Divine City of Ancient Korea with an Overview of Korean Shamanism, Sungje Cho, the author and scholar of Korean Shamanism brings the ancient original text with the interpretation and additional information about Korea's indigenous cultural and spiritual wisdom for the modern readers.Budoji illuminates the culture and early beliefs of the people of Ancient Joseon (Gojoseon), including stories about the creation of the world as well as the origins, evolution, and migratory movements of the Korean people. The word Budo refers to both a capital city and a nation that acts in accordance with the Divine—signifying that the will of the Divine is fulfilled on Earth. This is the founding principle on which Gojoseon, the kingdom of Dangun, was built upon.Budoji includes stories of: The creation of the universe and humanity by the Goddess MagoThemigrations of four human clans from Mago’s paradiseTheGreat FloodThe indigenous wisdom and cultural practices of the people of ancient KoreaThis volume is the first English translation of Budoji and includes an in-depth overview of Korean Shamanism by Sungje Cho. It includes information about:The history of Korean ShamanismExplanations of Mudangs, the Korean ShamansVarious Types of Korean Gut RitualsKorean Shamanic Gods and DeitiesKorean Shamanic Tools and Their SignificanceBeliefs on Death and the Afterlife in Korean Shamanism Read more

A common misconception holds that Marco Polo "opened up" a closed and recalcitrant "Orient" to the West. However, this sweeping history covering 4,000 years of international relations from the perspective of China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia shows that the region's extensive involvement in world affairs began thousands of years ago. In a time when the writing of history is increasingly specialized, Warren I. Cohen has made a bold move against the grain. In broad but revealing brushstrokes, he paints a huge canvas of East Asia's place in world affairs throughout four millennia. Just as Cohen thinks broadly across time, so too, he defines the boundaries of East Asia liberally, looking beyond China, Japan, and Korea to include Southeast Asia. In addition, Cohen stretches the scope of international relations beyond its usual limitations to consider the vital role of cultural and economic exchanges.Within this vast framework, Cohen explores the system of Chinese domination in the ancient world, the exchanges between East Asia and the Islamic world from the thirteenth to the seventeenth centuries, and the emergence of a European-defined international system in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The book covers the new imperialism of the 1890s, the Manchurian crisis of the early 1930s, the ascendancy of Japan, the trials of World War II, the drama of the Cold War, and the fleeting "Asian Century" from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s.East Asia at the Center is replete with often-overlooked or little-known facts, such as:• A record of persistent Chinese imperialism in the region• Tibet's status as a major power from the 7th to the 9th centuries C.E., when it frequently invaded China and decimated Chinese armies• Japan's profound dependence on Korea for its early cultural development• The enormous influence of Indian cuisine on that of China• Egyptian and Ottoman military aid to their Muslim brethren in India and Sumatra against European powers• Extensive Chinese sea voyages to Arabia and East Africa—long before such famous Westerners as Vasco da Gama and Christopher Columbus took to the seasEast Asia at the Center's expansive historical view puts the trials and advances of the past four millennia into perspective, showing that East Asia has often been preeminent on the world stage—and conjecturing that it might be so again in the not-so-distant future. Read more

Just a few decades ago, the South Koreans were an impoverished, agricultural people. In one generation they moved from the fields to Silicon Valley. They accomplished this through three totally unexpected miracles: economic development, democratization, and the arrival of their culture to global attention.Who are the Koreans? What are they like? The New Koreans examines how they have been perceived by outsiders, the features that color their “national character,” and how their emergence from backwardness, poverty, and brutality happened. It also looks at why they remain unhappy—with the lowest birth rates and highest suicide rates in the developed world. In The New Koreans, Michael Breen provides compelling insight into the history and character of this fascinating nation of South Korea, and casts an eye to future developments, as well as across the DMZ into North Korea. Read more

From a seasoned advisor, “a meaty, fast-paced portrait of North Korean society, economy, politics and foreign policy” (Foreign Affairs).   In The Impossible State, international-policy expert and former Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council Victor Cha pulls back the curtain on this controversial and isolated country, providing the best look yet at North Korea’s history, the rise of the Kim family dynasty, and the obsessive personality cult that empowers them. He illuminates the repressive regime's complex economy and culture, its appalling record of human-rights abuses, and its belligerent relationship with the United States, and analyzes the regime’s major security issues—from the seemingly endless war with its southern neighbor to its frightening nuclear ambitions—all in light of the destabilizing effects of Kim Jong-il's death and the pivotal and disquieting transition of power from tyrannical father to inexperienced son.   How this enigmatic nation-state—one that regularly violates its own citizens’ inalienable rights and has suffered famine, global economic sanctions, a collapsed economy, and near total isolation from the rest of the world—has continued to survive has long been a question that preoccupies the West. Cha reveals a land of contradictions, and delves into the ideology that leads an oppressed, starving populace to cling so fiercely to its failed leadership.   With rare personal anecdotes from the author’s time in Pyongyang and his tenure as an adviser in the White House, this authoritative, accessible, “engrossing” history (The Economist) offers much-needed understanding of the country’s veiled past and uncertain future.   “An up-close, insightful portrait.” —The Washington Post   “An eye-opening view of the closed, repressive dictatorship of North Korea. . . . A useful, pertinent work for understanding the human story behind the headlines.” —Kirkus Reviews Read more

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Exploring Korean history from its ancient roots to the present day, A Brief History of Korea is the story of a people with a rich and united culture that has become two Koreas in modern times—one isolated and secretive and the other among the world's most successful economies. Korean culture developed on a 600-mile-long peninsula, bordered on the north by mountains and three sides by the sea, set apart from the Asian mainland. Korea was one of the last countries in Asia to be visited by Westerners and its borders have remained largely unchanged since it was unified in the seventh century. Though it is one of the world's oldest and most ethnically homogeneous states, Korea was not born in a vacuum. Geographically isolated, the country was heavily influenced by powerful China and was often used as a bridge to the mainland by Japan. Calling themselves as "a shrimp among whales," Koreans borrowed elements of government, culture and religion all the while fiercely fighting to maintain independence from powerful neighbors. This fascinating book tells the story of Korean domestic dynasties, empires and states, as well as foreign conquest, occupation and division. Today, the two Koreas are starkly different—North Korea a nation closed to the world and South Korea an economic powerhouse and center of Asian democracy. Chronicling significant events right up through 2018's Singapore Summit, author Michael J. Seth presents a relevant, interesting and important history of Korea within a larger global context. Korea's history is a turbulent one, but ultimately the story of a resistant and resourceful people in search of lasting peace. Read more