Korean History

[Haena Shin]

It wasa pleasure to hear Professor Jung Kim's lecture. As an undergraduate student, I had the privilege of taking her Korean 50 course and it was a good review of Korean history. Since then, a lot has changed in the current economy and politics with the corruption of Park Geun-Hye and the US-North Korea relations. There has also been a growth in economic strengths. 

I enjoyed reading the literature pieces about Kapitan Lee and Cranes which reminded me of the book Pachinkio and how life in the past could have been. 

Robinson's 20th century odyssey also shed light on the legacy of the Korean War and the divide between North and South Korea. It often makes me wonder what life would be like if the armstice did not occur postwar and the Koreas remained united. Especially since the political and economic advancement of South Korea, North Korea suffered drastically. As there have been changes in the past couple years and recent talks between North Korea and US as well South Korean leaders, I hope that reunification between the Koreas will be possible in our generation.