The Two Koreas

by Don Oberdorfer; Robert Carlin

• ISBN13: 9780201409277
• ISBN10: 0201409275
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2013-12-10
• Publisher: Hachette

Summary

The struggle between the two Koreas has repeatedly claimed the headlines of the world in acts of terrorism and heroism, showdowns over nuclear weapons programs on both sides of the lines, the sudden deaths of leaders, and historic turning points in the relationship with the outside powers of Japan, Russia, and China.Don Oberdorfer lived through many of these crises as a journalist for theWashington Post. Building on his extensive experience, many previously unavailable documents, and unparalleled access to the leadership circles of the two Korean states and the great powers, he has written a gripping narrative history of Korea's travails and triumphs over the past quarter century. The involvement of the outside worldincluding a chilling account of the nuclear showdown that brought the United States perilously close to war with North Korea in 1994receives extensive treatment and special emphasis.Korea represents the last vestige of the Cold War.The Two Koreasplaces that political tension within a historical context, looking at democratic South Korea and communist North Korea through the lens of the past twenty-five years. Oberdorfer's work is the definitive text of contemporary Korea.

Author Biography

Don Oberdorfer wrote for the Washington Post for twenty-five years. He was a National Book Award finalist for Tet! The Turning Point in the Vietnam War and received a Woodrow Wilson Award from Princeton for public service. He is currently a resident scholar at Johns Hopkins University's Nitze School of Advanced International Studies

Table of Contents

PREFACE	xi	(6)
A NOTE ON KOREAN NAMES	xvii
1. Where the Wild Birds Sing	1	(26)
THE EMERGENCE OF TWO KOREAS	3	(5)
WAR AND ITS AFTERMATH	8	(3)
THE ORIGINS OF NEGOTIATION	11	(5)
KIM IL SUNG	16	(7)
CONVERSATIONS WITH THE SOUTH	23	(4)
2. The End of the Beginning	27	(20)
PARK CHUNG HEE	31	(6)
WASHINGTON BLINKS AT PARK'S COUP	37	(4)
THE IMPACT OF YUSHIN	41	(6)
3. The Trouble Deepens	47	(37)
THE STRUGGLE WITH JAPAN	51	(5)
THE UNDERGROUND WAR	56	(3)
CHALLENGE FROM THE NORTH	59	(5)
ECHOES OF SAIGON	64	(4)
THE SOUTH KOREAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM	68	(6)
MURDER IN THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE	74	(10)
4. The Carter Chill	84	(25)
CARTER'S WITHDRAWAL: ORIGINS AND IMPLEMENTATION	85	(9)
THE VIEW FROM PYONGYANG	94	(7)
END OF THE CARTER WITHDRAWAL	101	(8)
5. Assassination and Aftermath	109	(30)
THE COMING OF CHUN DOO HWAN	116	(8)
THE KWANGJU UPRISING	124	(9)
THE FIGHT TO SAVE KIM DAE JUNG	133	(6)
6. Terror and Talk	139	(22)
THE NEGOTIATING TRACK	144	(3)
FLOODS AND FACE-TO-FACE TALKS	147	(6)
KIM IL SUNG AND THE SOVIET CONNECTION	153	(8)
7. The Battle for Democracy in Seoul	161	(18)
CHUN'S SUCCESSION STRUGGLE	162	(10)
THE ELECTION OF 1987	172	(7)
8. The Great Olympic Coming-Out Party	179	(18)
THE COMING OF THE OLYMPICS	180	(3)
THE BOMBING OF KAL FLIGHT 858	183	(3)
THE RISE OF NORDPOLITIK	186	(6)
WASHINGTON LAUNCHES A MODEST INITIATIVE	192	(5)
9. Moscow Switches Sides	197	(32)
THE ROOTS OF CHANGE	200	(4)
GORBACHEV MEETS ROH	204	(9)
THE SHEVARDNADZE MISSION	213	(5)
"HOW LONG WILL THE RED FLAG FLY?"	218	(7)
SOVIET-SOUTH KOREAN ECONOMIC NEGOTIATIONS	225	(4)
10. China Shifts Its Ground	229	(20)
A VISIT TO NORTH KOREA	232	(7)
CHINA CHANGES COURSE	239	(10)
11. Joining the Nuclear Issue	249	(32)
THE ORIGINS OF THE NUCLEAR PROGRAM	251	(4)
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY: THE AMERICAN WEAPONS	255	(5)
THE DECEMBER ACCORDS	260	(5)
MEETING IN NEW YORK	265	(2)
THE COMING OF THE INSPECTORS	267	(4)
FROM ACCOMMODATION TO CRISIS	271	(10)
12. Withdrawal and Engagement	281	(24)
THE LIGHT-WATER REACTOR PLAN	287	(4)
KIM YOUNG SAM BLOWS THE WHISTLE	291	(6)
THE SEASON OF CRISIS BEGINS	297	(8)
13. Showdown over Nuclear Weapons	305	(32)
THE DEFUELING CRISIS	306	(5)
THE MILITARY TRACK	311	(5)
THE DEPENDING CONFLICT	316	(10)
CARTER IN PYONGYANG	326	(11)
14. Death and Accord	337	(32)
THE SUCCESSION OF KIM JONG IL	345	(6)
THE FRAMEWORK NEGOTIATIONS	351	(8)
THE KIM JONG IL REGIME	359	(6)
THE STRUGGLE OVER THE REACTORS	365	(4)
15. North Korea in Crisis	369
POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE IN SEOUL	376	(6)
SUMMIT DIPLOMACY AND THE FOUR-PARTY PROPOSAL	382	(5)
THE SUBMARINE INCURSION	387	(6)
NORTH KOREA'S STEEP DECLINE	393	(6)
THE PASSAGE OF HWANG JANG YOP	399	(8)
SOUTH KOREA FACES THE FUTURE	407	(2)
AFTERWORD	409	(3)
PRINCIPAL KOREAN FIGURES IN THE TEXT	412	(3)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	415	(8)
NOTES AND SOURCES	423	(36)
INDEX	459