Stone Mirror: Reflections on Contemporary Korea (Signature Books)

The transformation of the Republic of Korea from an impoverished state to a leading industrialized nation has been spectacular, but it has also masked the continuities of Korean society and culture. For more than four decades, David I. Steinberg has been observing Korea and is uniquely qualified to write on the evolution of modern Korea. As the resident representative of The Asia Foundation in 1963–68 and then again in 1994–98, he has been a participant in and close observer of the Korean scene. His trenchant comments on a broad spectrum of Korean life and mores illuminate many aspects of Korean society most often ignored in both the academic and popular literature. The short essays selected for this volume come from the over 230 columns he has published in the Korea Times since 1995. They present a series of vignettes on the cultural, socioeconomic, and political life of Korea today.

Trained first in Chinese studies and then in Southeast Asian history, Steinberg has lived in a variety of Asian countries over the past 17 years. He brings to this book a comparative focus that provides deeper perspective on Korean affairs. Because he personally experienced Korea at both an early stage of its growth and a much later period, he is able to report changes in the society in a manner that few other foreigners have been able to do.