Cornerstone of the Nation

Significantly contributes to other important topics in modern Korean history…a pathbreaking work [that] will surely itself become a cornerstone of the growing scholarship on the Park Chung Hee era and modern Korean history as a whole. -- Sungik Yang * Seoul Journal of Korean Studies * A welcome addition to the empirical record of histories of the Park regime, but also to scholarly conceptualizations of development and nationbuilding. Like the contrail following a ballistic missile, Cornerstone of the Nation points towards farther reaching implications for how we understand the making of militarized statehood. -- Syrus Solo Jin * Journal of Military History * “Global economists who study developmental states consider the Republic of Korea (South Korea) to be a model of rapid and successful economic development. Peter Banseok Kwon’s seminal book, Cornerstone of the Nation, offers a rare and valuable analysis of the role of Korea's defense industry in building modern Korea under President Park Chung Hee, the godfather of the 'Korean economic miracle.' Korea is an important ally of the United States, and a major player in the global economy. Korea's robust defense industry is an important component of its economic success, making this an essential book for understanding modern Korea."" -- Kongdan Oh, co-author of <i> North Korea in a Nutshell: A Contemporary Overview (2022) </i> “A brilliant work. Cornerstone of the Nation is simply the definitive account of South Korean industrialization and its critical role in the country’s post-WWII transformation. Kwon not only sheds light on modern Korea, but also offers lessons about national development, authoritarianism, militarism, nationalism, and state-sponsored capitalism that resonate today.” -- Mitch Lerner, Professor of History and Director of the East Asian Studies Center, The Ohio State University