The History of Conflicts and Divisions

Mainstream Korean historians in general are reluctant to reveal the dark side of the Korean history which will undermine their nationalistic values such as national sovereignty, national integration and reconciliation, or national pride. Some of them have even distorted unpalatable historical truths in the name of promoting national pride. In much the same way, mainstream Korean political scientists have often obscured, ignored, or denied the fact that the Korean political history was riddled with conflicts and divisions among the ruling elite. They have thus made no serious attempt to interpret the Korean political history from the perspective of conflict and division. To rightly understand the divisive Korean political culture, however, it is necessary to interpret Korean political history from that perspective. And this book about Korean political history is the first one written from the perspective of conflict and division among the Korean ruling elite.