Professor Kyung Moon Hwang is professor of history at the University of Southern California, teaching courses on Korean history, East Asian studies and world history. His books include A History Of Korea: An Episodic Narrative and Rationalizing Korea: The Rise Of The Modern State, 1894-1945.
South Korean traditional dancers performing at Changgyeonggung Palace
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Q. IT IS OFTEN ARGUED THAT JAPANESE COLONIAL RULE RESULTED IN THE MODERNISATION OF KOREA. HOW DID THIS NARRATIVE BEGIN AND WHY HAS IT PERSISTED TO THIS DAY?