A Fractured Liberation

I was familiar with the history of the US occupation of Japan, but much less so with our occupation of South Korea after WWII, and this book presents an in-depth, devastating view of the utter failure and moral bankruptcy of that endeavor. Chang follows the major players through the crucible years of this period, going across the country to illustrate massive problems with the military authority and how it could have played out differently (with Jeju Island being a useful counterfactual here). This is an urgent history, demonstrating how unprepared policies and policymakers can have catastrophic consequences. Highly recommend