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faster
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
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 Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 7:32 pm Post subject: Bruce Cumings |
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University of Chicago professor Bruce Cumings is a recognized Korea expert. I've read some of his work, and some commentary on it.
He's a pretty obvious lefty who doesn't make much of an attempt to hide it; he's quite critical of U.S. involvement in Korea in the 20th c.; he has even gone so far as to imply that North Korea may not have started the Korean war.
Of course, this means he's quite controversial.
Are people here familiar with this scholar? Any thoughts? |
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Carlyles Ghost
Joined: 04 Jul 2007
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 8:20 pm Post subject: |
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| I admire his respect for Korea. It is obvious throughout his work that he loves the country and it's people (I believe he even has a Korean wife). But you're right, he does swing way out there on the left and that makes his work less appealing. |
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King Baeksu
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 8:27 pm Post subject: |
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I think Cumings' main point is that the Korean War was a civil war and that it didn't really matter who actually started it. For example, Syngman Rhee was also itching to invade the North and had to be constantly restrained by the U.S..
That the Korean War was a civil war seems right to me and explains why Korea remains divided to this day. No one is keeping the two Koreas from reuniting except the Koreas themselves... |
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faster
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 8:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Carlyles Ghost wrote: |
| I admire his respect for Korea. It is obvious throughout his work that he loves the country and it's people (I believe he even has a Korean wife). |
Yeah, his wife is a professor of Political Science (specializing in Korean politics) at the University of Michigan. |
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faster
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 8:29 pm Post subject: |
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| King Baeksu wrote: |
I think Cumings' main point is that the Korean War was a civil war and that it didn't really matter who actually started it. For example, Syngman Rhee was also itching to invade the North and had to be constantly restrained by the U.S..
That the Korean War was a civil war seems right to me and explains why Korea remains divided to this day. No one is keeping the two Koreas from reuniting except the Koreas themselves... |
This is certainly one of his prime theses in North Korea, but it seems pretty reductive to me to call it his main point (either in that book or his work in general). |
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King Baeksu
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
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faster
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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Yikes, don't overreact. Now that you've clarified that, I agree with the comment. |
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spliff
Joined: 19 Jan 2004
Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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| I thought he was the Author of Lonely Planet... |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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Were not his original prints of "The Origin of the Korean War" proven to be bunk after the release of Kremlin documents?
I thought he was mainly discredited after that. |
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faster
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
Were not his original prints of "The Origin of the Korean War" proven to be bunk after the release of Kremlin documents?
I thought he was mainly discredited after that. |
He's been wrong a few high-profile times. The Kremlin documents refuted his assertion that Kim Il-Sung was almost completely independent of USSR training/support/control. He also asserted that North Korea didn't have nukes, which turned out to be pretty embarrassing for him, I imagine.
Even that isn't enough to fully discredit the man. He is, after all, the greatest US expert in the field, a pioneer in using the Freedom of Information Act to get previously-classified documents for research, one of a very few Americans to do tons of research in both Hangeul Korean and Hanjja Korean.
(Now I'm pushing the limits of my knowledge on the subject heh) |
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Beej
Joined: 05 Mar 2005
Location: Eungam Loop
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 11:23 pm Post subject: |
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| He has a great porn name. |
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Damulgun
Joined: 11 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 11:52 pm Post subject: |
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| King Baeksu wrote: |
I think Cumings' main point is that the Korean War was a civil war and that it didn't really matter who actually started it. For example, Syngman Rhee was also itching to invade the North and had to be constantly restrained by the U.S..
That the Korean War was a civil war seems right to me and explains why Korea remains divided to this day. No one is keeping the two Koreas from reuniting except the Koreas themselves... |
That's a lie. If US troops leave we will unite faster. |
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King Baeksu
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:02 am Post subject: |
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| Damulgun wrote: |
| That's a lie. If US troops leave we will unite faster. |
Lie, eh? Feeling a bit emotional, are we?
US troops are here at the pleasure of the ROK gov't. They can leave any time the South Koreans ask them, but polls usually indicate that a majority of South Koreans want US troops to stay here.
I'm American and I actually wish they would leave today. It would be very interesting to see what would happen here once that happened.
Roh and Kim Jong Illin' will have their stupid summit in Oct. and then it will be another 7 years of dillydallying and nothing will ever bloody happen. Ridiculous!
It's time for both Koreas to grow up, stop blaming the US for their own problems and get their bloody act together! |
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Damulgun
Joined: 11 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:04 am Post subject: |
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What a honest and truthful man this Cummings!
He should be political. |
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King Baeksu
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:09 am Post subject: |
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| Damulgun wrote: |
What a honest and truthful man this Cummings!
He should be political. |
Irony attempted in a language other than one's own native tongue is rarely a pleasure for others to behold... |
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