The Seed of Joy

Korea in the Eye of the Tiger - An East Asian History is a well-written, detailed history of Korea that reads like a novel. It's a work in progress and unfortunately is not expected to extend beyond the end of the Korean War, but it gives invaluable background going back many centuries. The Korea Herald and The Korea Times are English-language daily newspapers. If you're a fan of Korean television drama (as I am!) check out the Korean TV Drama Infocenter. It's got stories, photos, and links -- all helpfully presented in English.

The United States Peace Corps is a federal agency that sends American volunteers abroad to work as teachers, health care providers, small business consultants, and more. The Peace Corps/Korea program no longer exists; it was phased out in the early 1980s.

This watershed event in modern Korean history is also known as "The Kwangju Massacre", "The Kwangju Affair", and "The Kwangju Rebellion" depending on the political views of the speaker. Tim Shorrock's article "The US Role in Korea 1979 and 1980" are detailed and enlightening.