Understanding Korean Politics: An Introduction

This book is well written, informative, accessible, and provides a comprehensive picture of the big players in Korean politics over the last few decades, from the US Military to the dictators it supported to the institutional forces that destabilized that dictatorship and the popular mass movements that finally toppled it and have created a strong liberal democracy in its place. I recommend it to anyone interested in getting a handle on the basics of Korean politics and/or East Asian politics in general.