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Korea
- A New History of South and North
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
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Publisher's summary
A major new history of North and South Korea, from the late nineteenth century to the present day
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.
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In the nineteenth century, Russia participated in two "great games": one, pitted the tsar's empire against Britain in Central Asia. The other, saw Russia, China, and Japan vying for domination of the Korean Peninsula. In this eye-opening account, Sheila Miyoshi Jager argues that the contest over Korea, driven both by Korean domestic disputes and by great-power rivalry, set the course for the future of East Asia and the larger global order.
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odd
- By Auctionmail20022000 on 02-21-24
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North Korea Undercover
- Inside the World's Most Secret State
- By: John Sweeney
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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North Korea is like no other tyranny on Earth. Its citizens are told their home is the greatest nation in the world, and Big Brother is always watching. It is Orwell's 1984 made reality. Huge factories with no staff or electricity, hospitals with no patients, uniformed child soldiers, and the world-famous and eerily empty DMZ - the Demilitarized Zone, where North Korea ends and South Korea begins - are all framed by a relentless flow of regime propaganda from omnipresent loudspeakers. Free speech is an illusion: one word out of line, and the gulag awaits.
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Highly listenable, humorous and enlightening
- By Kevin Stokes on 09-09-15
By: John Sweeney
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The Korean War
- A History
- By: Bruce Cumings
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
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In sobering detail, The Korean War chronicles a US home front agitated by Joseph McCarthy, where absolutist conformity discouraged open inquiry and citizen dissent. Cumings incisively ties our current foreign policy back to Korea: an America with hundreds of permanent military bases abroad, a large standing army, and a permanent national security state at home, the ultimate result of a judicious and limited policy of containment evolving into an ongoing and seemingly endless global crusade.
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A real eye-opener
- By Bookworm on 10-09-19
By: Bruce Cumings
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North Korea Confidential
- Private Markets, Fashion Trends, Prison Camps, Dissenters and Defectors
- By: Daniel Tudor, James Pearson
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 4 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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North Korea is one of the most troubled societies on earth. The country's 24 million people live under a violent dictatorship led by a single family, which relentlessly pursues the development of nuclear arms, which periodically incites risky military clashes with the larger, richer, liberal South, and which forces each and every person to play a role in the "theater state" even as it pays little more than lip service to the wellbeing of the overwhelming majority.
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Interesting portrait of North Korea marred by awful pronunciation
- By Amazon Customer on 08-03-21
By: Daniel Tudor, and others
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The Sister
- North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the Most Dangerous Woman in the World
- By: Sung-Yoon Lee
- Narrated by: Dexter Galang
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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The first woman ever to issue the threat of a nuclear weapons strike is not even officially a head of state. Kim Yo Jong is the sister of North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un and, as their murderous regime’s chief propagandist, internal administrator, and foreign policymaker, she is the most powerful woman in North Korean history. Cruel but charming, she threatens and insults foreign leaders with sardonic wit, issuing proclamations and denunciations in her own name, a first for any woman in the Korean royal family.
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Too many details distracting from the story
- By Lilia on 11-24-23
By: Sung-Yoon Lee
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Beasts of a Little Land
- A Novel
- By: Juhea Kim
- Narrated by: Sue Jean Kim, Raymond Lee
- Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1917, deep in the snowy mountains of occupied Korea, an impoverished local hunter on the brink of starvation saves a young Japanese officer from an attacking tiger. In an instant, their fates are connected — and from this encounter unfolds a saga that spans half a century.
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PDF support needed
- By Ann L on 01-06-22
By: Juhea Kim
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North Korea
- What Everyone Needs to Know
- By: Patrick McEachern
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In this book, former North Korea lead foreign service officer at the US embassy in Seoul, Patrick McEachern, unpacks the contentious and tangled relationship between the Koreas in an approachable question-and-answer format. Why have the two Koreas developed politically and economically in such radically different ways? What are the origins of a divided Korean Peninsula? Who rules the two Koreas? How have three generations of the authoritarian Kim dictatorship shaped North Korea?
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A fine introduction with some structural flaws
- By John on 02-13-22
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Korean Mythology Collection
- The Stories, Folklore, Fairy Tales, Folktales, and History of Korea
- By: William Elliot Griffis, Im Bang, Yi Ryuk, and others
- Narrated by: James Francis Markert
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Whether you're a lover of mythology, a student of Korean culture, or simply in search of a mesmerizing listen, this collection offers a treasure trove of stories that have withstood the test of time. Delve into this book and let the magic of Korean mythology enchant you.
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Entertaining and informative
- By S A Smith on 11-14-23
By: William Elliot Griffis, and others
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South Korea 101
- The Culture, Etiquette, Rules and Customs
- By: Mancho Soto
- Narrated by: Millian Quinteros
- Length: 1 hr and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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South Korea 101 is a book that shares with you practical information that holds great value in better understanding the Korean mindset and culture! If you have an interest in Korea and Korean people then this book will bring you tremendous value. I cover subjects like: How to eat spicy foods, how to not get run over by vehicles in Korea, dating in Korea and many more!
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Quick and Informative
- By Sarah on 04-11-21
By: Mancho Soto
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Central Asia
- A New History from the Imperial Conquests to the Present
- By: Adeeb Khalid
- Narrated by: Aaqil Ahmed
- Length: 17 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Central Asia is often seen as a remote and inaccessible land on the peripheries of modern history. Encompassing Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and the Xinjiang province of China, it in fact stands at the crossroads of world events. Adeeb Khalid provides the first comprehensive history of Central Asia from the mid-18th century to today, shedding light on the historical forces that have shaped the region under imperial and Communist rule.
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Great History of a Forgotten Region
- By Than on 07-07-21
By: Adeeb Khalid
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Without You, There Is No Us
- My Time with the Sons of North Korea's Elite
- By: Suki Kim
- Narrated by: Janet Song
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Every day, three times a day, the students march in two straight lines, singing praises to Kim Jong-il and North Korea: Without you, there is no motherland. Without you, there is no us. It is a chilling scene, but gradually Suki Kim, too, learns the tune and, without noticing, begins to hum it. It is 2011, and all universities in North Korea have been shut down for an entire year, the students sent to construction fields - except for the 270 students at the all-male Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST).
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The King and I meets Mary Poppins
- By Michael on 02-22-15
By: Suki Kim
What listeners say about Korea
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Harold Randall
- 10-08-23
An excellent read, well worth the time and I would highly recommend this book
One of the best books I’ve read in many years on the last 70 years of North and South Korea. Well written with great narration!
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- Ted F
- 11-14-23
Exceptionally good
Outstanding, focusing on recent history of the Koreas, last century or so—all very relevant to the current situation. I have listened to many histories of Korea since moving there, and this is the best for understanding the current division of the peninsula and these two very different nations.
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- smitka
- 12-21-23
Thoughtful history, co-written which adds value
I studied East Asia in college, but my focus was Japan and China. Still, I have some knowledge of Korean history, have periodically visited starting in 1975, and a close Korean friend was involved in the Six Party talks from the start.
This is an excellent history, squeezing a lot into a small package, with telling anecdotes from the authors’ personal experience. I didn’t find any particular biases, except that they avoid the issue of what happens to the North’s weapons in the event of reunification. That is something national security types in Japan, China and Russia worry about, and since I know some of the principals I know it comes up in the circles in which they move.
I don’t follow popular culture, and was fascinated by their discussion. I now have a deeper knowledge of how the North’s politics developed. Their treatment of economic issues is fine and approachable by non-specialists (I’m an economist). I learned even there, on the ebb and flow of informal markets in the North.
In summary, kudos!
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- AM
- 07-30-24
A good width and depth enough to gain a comprehensive understanding
The reader should know to read the Chinese characters in Korean, not in Chinese (eg. DAE not TAI). Also not to read words in syllables, not with Western linguistic conventions (eg. when the letter H is involved)
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- Amanda McGlasson
- 06-17-24
Comprehensive and fascinating.
A great read for me, a person trying to get a grasp on the culture and history.
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- Dr. Krishnendu Ray
- 07-08-24
Clean and a quick view of Korean Geopolitics over the last century
Provides a basic view from above. Little history from below. Useful but not the most interesting. Well narrated.
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- Cory Maffeo
- 02-29-24
Author’s hatred bias against Trump ruined a decent book
The author did a decent job until the Trump presidency after which he went on multiple tangents of his opinions, straying wildly from factual history.
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