In 1910, Japan took control over Korea by military and political force. Then, in 1945, Korea was arbitrarily divided by the Soviet Union and the United States into North and South Korea. The Soviets impeded all United Nations efforts to hold elections and reunite the country under one government. Korea has been struggling for independence and reunification ever since.

In this memoir, Won Tai Sohn recollects the unusually harsh Japanese treatment of Korean people in Korea, Manchuria, China and Japan, and remembers his close relationship with North Korean president Kim Il Sung from their boyhood to President Kim's sudden death in 1994. According to Dr. Sohn, President Kim devoted his entire life to the liberation of Korea, starting with fighting against the Japanese stationed in North Korea and China. He became the first premier of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea when it was established in 1948, and led his nation in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. In 1993, President Kim's nuclear program and defense policy became a great concern for the United States when intelligence analysis estimated that North Korea was less than two years away from being able to strike South Korea and Japan with nuclear missiles. President Kim died two months after talks with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter about ending North Korea's nuclear program.

About the Author
The late Won Tai Sohn, M.D., was a physician and professor and lived in Omaha, Nebraska.

Reviews
"a fascinating snapshot of Kim's early life in Manchurian exile...demonstrates what Kim meant for many Koreans...manages to explain much about the sheer longevity of the North Korean experiment"-Korean Quarterly.



Book Information
ISBN 9780786415892
Author Won Tai Sohn
Format Paperback
Page Count 248
Imprint McFarland & Co Inc
Publisher McFarland & Co Inc
Weight(grams) 336g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 13mm