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
An important addition to a growing body of literature, Cornerstone of the Nation belongs in Korean studies classrooms, and equally in the literature for history of technology and comparative development.
-- John P. DiMoia Journal of Asian 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 North Korea in a Nutshell: A Contemporary Overview (2022)
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
South Korea's remarkable economic transformation is the subject of much scholarly literature and policy discourse. However, Peter Kwon's concept of Korea's 'militarized industrialization' provides a fresh new perspective on the critical decade of the 1970s. Through original archival work, Kwon makes the compelling case that South Korea's defense industry was inextricably bound up with — and a key driver of — its economic miracle. The legacies of that period continue to shape the present moment. As a democratic South Korea strives to maintain an advanced economy and become a major player in the global defense industry, it still navigates a heavily militarized inter-Korean divide, ever shifting geopolitical fault lines, and a profoundly uncertain US commitment, much as it did decades ago. One cannot begin to understand Korea's potential future policy trajectories without Kwon's deeply contextualized and increasingly relevant historical research.
-- Clint Work, PhD, Fellow and Director of Academic Affairs at the Korea Economic Institute of America
At a time when the defense industrial base is emerging as a critical issue in international security, this book offers a comprehensive analysis of South Korea’s defense industrialization and its pivotal role in the country’s modernization. Drawing on extensive archival research in Korean sources and interviews with key actors, it provides an unparalleled account of how civil-military fusion, driven by the goal of defense industrialization, shaped South Korea’s political and economic trajectory. Scholars of modern Korean history, international relations, and comparative politics—as well as policymakers and practitioners engaged in national and international security and defense industry development—will find this study indispensable. Moreover, students of China’s contemporary civil-military fusion will discover striking parallels in South Korea’s experience decades earlier.
-- Lami Kim, PhD, Professor of Security Studies at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, U. S. Department of Defense
Cornerstone of the Nation illuminates how President Park Chung Hee catalyzed South Koreas’ rapid industrialization by harnessing a self-reliant national defense strategy, 'jaju gugbang,' with state-sponsored economic development policies. Professor Peter Banseok Kwon weaves together all the pieces—the roles of the citizens, scientists, laborers, chaebol and military, along with the imperatives for an advanced weapons industry and even a secret nuclear weapon program. Kwon’s scholarship provides a fresh take on the demystification of South Korea’s 'Miracle on the Han River,' its escape from colonialism, and the devastation of the Korean War…. Kwon’s insightful and complex analysis flows smoothly; it is a pleasure to read.
-- Thomas Byrne, President and CEO, The Korea Society, New York City
