Rising Korean Potential, Declining American Privilege (English Edition) [Kindle-editie] beoordelingen het boek quotes

This book reviews the relationship between South Korea and America, which started from the liberation of Korea in 1945 right after the end of World War Two. South Korea is closely linked with the United States in many areas nowadays. The recently effectuated FTA between the two countries is a good example of such a linkage. No matter how Koreans think about the United States, they must evaluate the relationship from the practical viewpoint. This is the best way of maintaining the relationship without arousing controversy, especially when Koreans have mixed feelings of infatuation with and animosity toward the United States. Strategic alliance is one word to describe the relation, but that is hardly adquate. It is far from a comprehensive description. Those ties sometimes fray at the edges, yet they have endured for almost seven decades. The resilience of this partnership will most likely go on because of the mutual benefits accrued and expected to continue in the foreseeable future. Yet nothing is everlasting in the relationship between the two countries. This is an iron law of human history. Maintaining good relations between the two countries calls us to understand each other as wholeheartedly as possible. For this, it is prerequisite to understand the other's cultural background and other factors, which have deep impact on mutual perceptions. Although both countries have maintained the strategic alliance for such a long time, it is undeniably true that Koreans do not know much about Americans and the other way round. It is urgent to get better acquainted with each other to prevent misunderstandings from escalating into serious ruptures of our bonds. When speaking of South Korea(the ROK) and the United States(the U.S.) in the same sentence, one must fathom the stark differences that traditionally separated them. Some of the divergences include the following: size, age(of the countries), ethnic mix, geopolitical position, natural resources, economic framework, business practices, gender roles, class relations, political structure, and status of immigrants, to name several. America's influence on the ROK has tended to be much heavier than the reverse. Nevertheless, the ROK on the world stage and Korean immigrants to the U.S. have played a monor, yet still significant role in the development of the U.S. There are many motivations for taking a closer look at the relationship between the two societies, especially under the circumstances that the U.S. and China are struggling with each other for the hegemony in the future.