Korea, the Divided Nation

Following its liberation from Japanese colonialism, at the end of WWII, Korea was divided into two separate nations. Because the Korean nation enjoyed a long dynastic history, its postwar partition was particularly traumatic. The ensuing Cold War years spawned the Korean War and subsequent decades of strained inter-Korean relations and tensions in the region surrounding the peninsula. This volume provides readers who are unfamiliar with Korea's heritage insight into how Korea became a divided nation engulfed in international geopolitical tensions, providing expert analysis of this rendered nation's background, modern circumstances, and future prospects.

Edward A. Olsen is Professor of National Security Affairs and Asian Studies at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Prior to joining the faculty there, he was a political analyst on Korea and Japan at the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research.