HIST 249 Modern Korea

Korea is unique, or so say the Koreans. In many ways, it is. Politically, of the democratic nations in the world, South Korea is one of the precious few to have achieved democracy through the blood and sacrifice of its everyday citizens, that is, from the bottom up. Economically, after the Korean War, Korea was one of the poorest nations in the world, ranking below sub-Saharan countries in terms of GDP; now it is a member of the G20. This survey will begin with the forced opening of the "Hermit Kingdom" in 1872, and conclude with the 21st century international phenomenon of K-pop.