As the locus of Great Power rivalry in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the battleground for the first hot conflict of the early Cold War, and in the case of the contemporary challenge of a nuclear North Korea one of the most potentially destabilizing threats to regional security, the Korean peninsula is critical in understanding the history, politics, and international relations of Asia. However, Korea s importance is not confined to issues of security and international conflict. The dramatic growth of South Korea, propelling it from the status of an underdeveloped and...