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This book argues that the college choices of ethnic Chinese in Korea changed in relation to their political and legal status within Korean society and examines the reasons behind the changing educational trends. ... Read more

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Korean Culture Series #8. Buddhist culture and thought have had a tremendous impact on the lives and thought of Korean people ever since the religion was introduced to the Korean peninsula in the late fourth century. Most of the time, the religion received strong state support for the construction of temples and pagodas and the making of Buddhist images for worship. At times, the religion encountered opposition, often for political reasons, but it continued to play an important role in the cultural and religious activities of the various strata of Korean society from the time of its introduction and it continues to remain in the mind of modern Koreans as well.

Most of the research on Korean Buddhist sculpture is in Korean and some in Japanese, but very little in English. Therefore, this work is a significant resource for those interested in studying Korean Buddhist art. The author has tried to put Korean sculpture in the context of history, Buddhist teachings and iconography and makes stylistic comparisons with relevant examples from neighboring countries. This is a first of its kind work that will educate readers who are new to the unique qualities of Korean Buddhist sculpture, as well as provide helpful references to many of the scholarly articles written in Korean. ... Read more

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Korean Culture Series #1 Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea deals with issues of tradition, modernity, and identity in modern and contemporary Korean art in Korea. On a deeper level, this is one of the only books of its kind in English that exposes readers to specific artists and their works, an especially useful resource for those who wish to know more than just surface level facts about Korean art. ... Read more

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ABOUT THIS BOOK: Korea Unmasked is an illustrated book that presents a hilarious and often unflattering look at Korean society and its people. It brings the reader a fascinating exploration of the Korean mindset and weaves together history, sociology and cultural anthropology. The book introduces an insight in subjects like; Korean history, traditions, culture, food, life, economy, tension between South and N. Korea and more. The book will introduce the reader to Korea and their people and discuss many subjects and attitudes that are sometimes unknown or misunderstood by westerners. The insightful discussions about Korea and differences/similarities with other countries emphasized on the neighbors China, Japan, will help to clear the picture who the Korean people really are. The author, Won-bok Rhie provides a delightful and humorous portrait of the Korean people. It's comical yet serious well-written and informative pictured by the author. If you only have time for one book about Korea, this is the book! ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Won-bok Rhie is one of Korea's most famous cartoonists. After achieved a bachelor's degree in architecture at Seoul National University, he studied graphic design in Germany and obtained a degree of Dipl. Designer. He is the author of numerous comic books introducing historical, cultural and economic subjects. He have also written many comic series in Korea newspapers and magazines. Korea Unmasked is part of a 9-volume series of comic books about several European countries, Korea and Japan, which all became bestsellers in Korea. Rhie is also a professor of graphic design in University in Seoul, Korea. In 1993, he achieved a prestigious Award in recognition of his development and contributions to the Korean cartoon industry. From 1998 to 2000, he also served as the president of the Korean Society of Cartoon and Animation Studies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Watered down jumping off point - easy on the eyes
For what it is, it's wonderful. One must take into consideration that this is a non-fiction comic book and as such, it takes some liberties in the sake of brevity. We are talking about summing up a whole culture into less than 250 pages. Comments such as "this book is too general" or "it takes too many liberties" failed to see what this book is intended to be - a general overall for people with virtually no background knowledge of Korea. To that end, this book excels.

I also commend this book in its comparison with Japan, China, and America. The author has taken a vast amount of information and condensed it into very approachable subjects such as cultural identity, leadership and economic growth.

Let's not forget that this book is driven by it's artistic style which is quite pleasant and not distracting the least. For an animator, the script is well written and translated which includes very native-English references and subtle jokes that demonstrate his dedication tot he project.

All in all, it's a great non-academic read that is recommended to anyone looking to take an introduction to Korea without having to dig through countless volumes of ancient history and poorly translated, nationalistic rhetoric.

Great artwork, entertaining, unfortunately plagued by ignorance and propoganda - publisher apologized over anti-semetic claims
Great artwork, entertaining, unfortunately plagued by ignorance and propoganda.The book is 9900 Won retail.

Sadly this book is insulting and stereotypical of other cultures, and some of its claims were naeve or absurd to the point that I thought it was comedic satire..until I realized the author wasn't being sarcastic.I'm shocked at some of the ignorant assumptions and outright insults being spewed against other cultures.It's hard to tell which parts are intentional propaganda, and which parts are just ignorance.It shares a lot in common with North Korean texts I've read and Japanese revisionist textbooks, only cuter with cartoon characters and more international anecdotes.

First off, I think Korea has a rich and amazing culture and is a wonderful place and I've visited many times and have many friends both here and in Korea.I learned Korean and traveled every corner of the country and studied its history.It happens that I also think India and about a dozen other countries are great nations and cultures too.My comments only pertain to the outrageous things being said by this book, despite many good things about it.

Early on the book says a lot of things about what all Chinese people believe and why they did everything in their history.Half the time I was laughing, the other time I couldn't believe anyone could be this ignorant.The fact that the author even tries to make these kind of claims speaks for itself.

I noticed it even claims and I quote "China has shown a great deal of tolerance regarding Taiwan".That's funny, for most of the last 50 years China has threatened to invade on a yearly basis.China is about as tolerant as North Korea is of the South.Which I guess isn't a surprise since some South Koreans think that's true too.This claim is basically as outrageous as saying Korea is one country.The book is filled with this ignorance about dozens of countries.

The book simplifies history with childlike logic.For example it literally says that because England is an island like Japan, its people chose to modify foreign cultures a la the Catholic Church to the Anglican church.First of all, this happened because King Henry wanted a divorce and was refused by the Pope, in fact he had 6 wives in his life.It had little to do with the English people or culture (the actual point being made), foreign cultures (what?), or the fact that England is an island.By its own logic if this was the real reason, England would have gotten rid of the Catholic Church a thousand years before it actually did.I'm not going to cover the other hundred claims but this example shows the kind of logic being used.

What's ironic is a lot of claims really apply to Koreans as much as Japan or China.Early on it claims Chinese always think they're the best, when many Koreans think this way as well if not more so.The reality is this is simply a stereotype, and its disingenuous to suggest this is a Chinese stereotype and not a Korean or Japanese one as well.

The author even oversimplifies his own culture.He claims the reason Japan is 1% Christian and Korea 30%+ Christian boils down to Japan being animistic and Korea being shamanistic and animists think there are many gods but shamans think everything is one god.He can't explain the fact that much of Japan converted to Christianity even faster than Korea in the 16th century, until they were literally murdered by the masses or forced to renounce their religion by a military government.Or that many Koreans, even non-Christians, respected Christians for their opposition during Japanese occupation and that Christianity has genuine appeal for many Koreans.

The Korean economic growth is indeed a miracle, a credit to hard work and converging factors.What's insulting is they've dismissed all the other nations and their achievements in broad strokes.It says that since Germany and Japan were already "economic powerhouses" before being demolished in WWII, their economic miracles are anything but.Then it dismisses over a hundred 3rd world countries from comparison by saying it's easy for a third world country to post high growth.Classic.Essentially, the logic of this author is that any country more advanced than Korea isn't worth comparing to for one reason, and any country less advanced than Korean isn't worth comparing to either.

Almost every claim requires an asterisk and fine print.For example, "If you eliminate 75% of countries from consideration, Korea is the most blah blah", or "This has never happened in another country" when it's simply false and should be explained by another asterisk (but not).

The book swerves back and forth between fact and fiction, relying on technicalities.Well if we want to get technical, Korea isn't even a country.There's North Korea, and South Korean.Korea hasn't been a country for almost a hundred years.If you think that's being too technical and callous, try reading what this book has to say about other countries.

The book also makes two puzzling claims that Korea was a vassal was under China and only as a formality, and that Korea is constantly under invasion and the victim of aggressors.That's funny considering even in Korean museums they acknowledge the historical fact that Korea was a vassal of the Mongols and twice invaded Japan under them.These invasions, although failures, were extremely brutal and sadistic and ironically only exceeded by the Japanese invasions of Korea.The fact is Korea was a full vassal and launched joint military strikes as such, and it's pretty malicious to pretend this never happened.What actually happened is pretty generous to Korea - they had little choice but to be vassals and agree to invade with the Mongols and send troops.

Now the book actually has a lot of good content and interesting commentary.It's just constantly mixed in with garbage and propaganda.So I enjoyed a lot of content at the same time as I'd roll my eyes thinking "Oh not this again".The author clearly read the cliff notes of history and filled in the blanks with classic child logic.

The author clearly has talent and a lot of funny things to say.If the author had turned this into satire, it would have worked for a chapter or two until it revealed that this book itself represents the distorted view Koreans have about the world.But it doesn't and goes through pains to explain and qualify itself, and that's why it's not even satire.

Korea is such as wonderful place, even people I've known who went to North Korea tell of how no matter how corrupt the government the good of individuals is hard to defeat.This book is an exception to that, the South Korean analogy to North Korean and Japanese propoganda.

Excellent quick tutorial of the Korean culture
This book (cartoon) is a fabulous introduction to the Korean people and culture. I cannot think of a better introduction, other than going to Korea, of learning and understanding the intricacies of the Korean culture in an entertaining fashion.

This book is not and certainly should not be read as a definitive text. The author's opinions are singular and he offers no counterarguments. Certainly, the author's opinions on various aspects of Koreans, Japanese, and Chinese cultures can be rationally disputed. Nevertheless, they are worthy of contemplation. For example, the author states that Chinese culture emphasizes "oneness", Japanese "peace", and Koreans "fidelity". Although many would dispute this generalizaion, the author's analysis and arguments are very cogent and thoughtful.

The book has highly entertaining cartoons and small jokes which makes it a fun read. I laughed out loud more than a few times reading this informative cultural cartoon.

After readng this book,you will have a far greater understanding of Korea, its culture, and its history, and be refreshingly entertained by the kneeslapping comics and jokes of the author.

This is a good book, but...
This is a decent book, easy to read, and informative for both children and adults. However, it accurately shows the Korean mind in perhaps an unintentional manner. (Not manor! See review below.) Specifically, the Koreans are blind to their own faults and quick to see faults in others, and in comparing themselves to the world the book shows how the Koreans portray themselves and the world. This explains why Koreans are so xenophobic.

I lived in Korea and Taiwan, have traveled in Japan, and was born in Taiwan, and thus I am familiar with Asian cultures. This book insults Japanese or Chinese conformity, and admires Korean conformity.

In many ways even North Korea's extreme form of communishm is a tribute to the Korean ethic of going all out to acheive an end. The book pokes fun at Koreans, yet does not seem to offer criticism of the Korean conformities, how Korean culture has become shallow, and how the Korean mindset is apt to follow blindly any fad, whether it be consumerism or fanatic communism. The book boasts how Korea became democratic in fifty years while it took Western countries hundreds of years. This is just absurd, and it takes a profound ignorance of the West to make such a statement, as well as a simplistic definition of democracy. The book overlooks the South's cruel dictatorships. The problem is the book makes fun of Koreans for things that should be criticized, and admires Koreans for what should be ridiculed.

Koreans are very competitive, but to a fault. Corruption is rampant in Korean society. When I lived in Korea students complained how they had to bribe teachers for everything. One father told me his visually-impaired daughter could not get a seat in front of the class until he gave her teacher a cash 'gift'. Police will take money rather than issue tickets, and this goes all the way up the political ladder.

As to the assertion the book makes as to how different the Korean culture is to the Chinese and Japanese, there is no doubt there is a difference, but subtle, not huge, which the book proudly cries. As to marriage, respect of elders, deference to authority, even taking off shoes indoors, they are very similar, and these are crucial similarities. Size of chopsticks, or use of the spoon, or what sort of bed they sleep in is not that big a difference.I would argue that there are no three cultures separated by language that are so similar than the Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese.

Read this book to get an impression of the way Koreans look at themselves, but bear in mind the book looks at Koreans the way a mother looks at her son.

Excellent guide to Korean culture
Many people often find it difficult distinguish Korean from Japanese, Chinese, and etc. (maybe, in there eyes they are all just 'ASIAN')

This book will clearly educate you on the uniqueness of Korea, Korean culuture and everything related to Korea.

The author provides a nice balanced view. You can see the real 'UNmasked' korea.

This book is supreme for classroom, average reader and even regional specialists.

As far as I know, the author is very renowned professor in Korea.

You will never reget buying this book! ... Read more

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This book is about the role of women in Korean and Japanese politics over the past century. It is exceedingly rare to have a comparative analysis of politics in Japan and the Republic of Korea, which gives this book a special status. At the same time these are countries with remarkably low levels of political participation by women, so it is very important to have an analysis of the reasons for this outcome. In the 1970s women accounted for less than two percent of legislative representatives in Japan, and less than one percent in Korea; today women constitute about seven percent of the members in each legislature, but these levels are still comparatively low in the developed world: about forty-three percent of Sweden's legislators are women, and women constitute more than 30 percent of Germany's Bundestag; the level in the U.S. Congress is about thirteen per cent.The explanation for this phenomenon is by no means simple, and the author traverses a complex argument beginning with the "late" industrialization of both countries, followed by long periods of military rule and excesses of nationalism in both that until relatively recently subordinated women to state-sponsored goals of rapid development and national unity, to the situation today where, at least in Korea, the role of women in politics is growing rapidly. Her account is based on numerous interviews in Korea and Japan, a deft use of public opinion polls, and a wide comparative reading in the literature on the history and politics of both countries. After examining a host of theoretical and conceptual approaches to understanding the role of women in politics, she combines an historical analysis with an examination of patriarchal culture in Japan and Korea, and then scrutinizes the way in which the two respective political systems have both formal and informal mechanisms that militate against women's participation. Furthermore at many points in the text she makes comparative judgments concerning women's participation in Europe and the United States. ... Read more

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2004 sampler of Korean comics ... Read more

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Intended as a companion to the popular KLEAR Textbooks in Korean Language series and designed and edited by a leading Korean linguist, this is the first volume of its kind to treat specifically the critical role of language in Korean culture and society. An introductory chapter provides the framework of the volume, defining language, culture, and society and their interrelatedness and presenting an overview of the Korean language vis-à-vis its culture and society from evolutionary and dynamic perspectives.

Early on, contributors examine the invention and use of the Korean alphabet, South Korea’s "standard language" vs. North Korea’s "cultured language," and Korean in contact with Chinese and Japanese. Several topics representative of Korean socio-cultural vocabulary (sound symbolic words, proverbs, calendar-related terms, kinship terms, slang expressions) are discussed, followed by a consideration of Korean honorifics and other related issues. Two chapters on !Korean media, one on advertisements and the other a comparative analysis of television ads in Korea, Japan, and the U.S., follow. Finally, contributors look at salient features of the language, narrative structure, and dialectal variation. All chapters are accompanied by a set of student questions and a useful bibliography. Throughout, technical language is kept to a minimum and sufficient language examples are provided. A beginning level of proficiency in Korean is sufficient to digest the Korean examples with facility, making this volume accessible to a wide range of students. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I like the condition of the book
The physical condition of this book is perfect. I like that. But the view over pragmatics of the editor lacks of knowledge. ... Read more

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From Tradition to Consumption is a ground breaking work that provides a wonderfully innovative and insightful explanation of the eclipse of traditional society and the rise of a new consumer culture during South Korea's recent march to economic development. The book convincingly portrays this shift to cultural modernity as the reasoned response of people to rapidly shifting forms of labor, everyday life, and state narratives. Key to this transformation from agriculture to a modern life has been the drastic alteration of the family from a unit of production to a unit of consumption.

This state-led industrialization also has redefined gender roles in Korea. The pressing needs for production and consumption to bolster economic development have resulted in the creation of a middle-class family marked by the white collar male and urban housewife. These new social roles serve to make the process of consumption central to the family, and to promote the act of consumption as the basis for modern identity for many Koreans ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent book on Korean modernity
"From Tradition to Consumption" deals with the process of cultural changes required by capitalist development.This book addresses many inter-related questions: How do Korean men and women respond to the new physical environments, new social roles, new daily routines, and new disciplining of the bodies?How does the state "prepare" its citizens for the new capitalist order?What is the role of mass media?And, how is the popular culture constructed according to the market needs?Dennis Hart wove in a dazzling array of perspectives including feminist theories and discourse analysis in this work.Hart maintains that what is seemingly a result of "natural" development flows from a set of policies meticulously calculated and orchestrated by the state and capitalist interests.The past is "museumized" and the modern consumerism is touted as necessary and desirable new culture.Yet, it is not an entirely harmonious and flawless process.There are contentions and maladies rising from this.
The wide range of literature and data Hart employed is also impressive-- government statistics, theses and dissertations from Korean universities, TV and magazine advertisement, and insightful personal interviews.Recently, several different ethnographic studies about Korean middle-class and consumption were published in the US, but this book stands out among them because of the theoretical depth and fluency, as well as the extensive use of Korean literature.

At once erudite and witty and compassionate, this book is a rare pleasure to read.There are many parts that compel the readers stop and think, and reflect on something familiar and ordinary, and there are some parts that are funny and deeply moving.This book could be used as a textbook for advanced undergraduate students, but it would be also approachable for non-academics who are interested in modern Korea. I recommend this book very highly. ... Read more

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This book, briefly examining the history, people, culture, customs, economy, sports and other aspects of Korea, attempts to present a concise overview of Korea's time-honored legacy, modern achievements and the current direction of the Republic's nation-building. Because of its up-to-date information, wide coverage and general practicality, visitors to Korea will find it very helpful.

Korean Overseas Information Service is an organization of the Republic of Korea.

70 color photos with map. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

pocket-sized, but complete ...
I have been asked to introduce my country, Korea to a team of young professionals who will be sent to South Korea by a local Rotary Club.Preparing the presentation I found this small book.This book is pocket-sized, but has complete and up-to-date information about geography, history, culture, economy, tourism, and other aspects of Korea with a full of color photos and illustrations.If you are planning to travel to Korea, or just enjoy learning other countries, this book should be a part of your collection. ... Read more

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Religion in Korea has provided fertile soil for the cultivation of Korean thought, culture and art and has helped preserve the Korean way of life throughout the various vicissitudes of history. Because religion was a core factor determining social structure and cultural forms in traditioinal society, Korean traditional and culture and Korean religions are intricately intertwined. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Journal of International Affairs, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2006. The length of the article is 3124 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: One Korea again: when, if and how?(Divided Korea: Toward a Culture of Reconciliation)(Book review)
Author: Aleksandr Ilitchev
Publication: Journal of International Affairs (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 60Issue: 1Page: 231(7)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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Lessons for Grades 7-12. ... Read more

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This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: HistoryKorea; History / Asia / Korea; ... Read more