The Korean Presidents: Leadership for Nationbuilding

Dr. Choong Nam Kim has written an important and penetrating study of the Korean presidents from Syngman Rhee to Roh Moo Hyun in the context of their eras.
His analysis of their influence and leadership styles is required reading in the continuing reassessment of their respective roles in the remarkable changes and development of politics and economics in the Republic of Korea. This will no doubt be a controversial study in some circles, for it provides an alternative approach to some contemporary scholarship, but it will contribute both to the rise of scholarly concern and popular interest in understanding the varied roles of Korean presidents in critical periods in modern Korean history.
This volume is a highly relevant and singular contribution to the literature on the peregrinations of the Republic since its founding.

David I. Steinberg Director, Asian Studies Program School of Foreign Service Georgetown University