ItisapleasureandprivilegetorecommendtheEnglisheditionofDr.HenryHuHungLick’sdoctoraldissertationonTheKoreanProblem.

Dr.Hu’sdissertationwaswrittenintheearly1950sandtheoriginalworkisinFrench.ThefocusofthisdissertationisaboutthehistoryofKorea’srelationswithitsneighbours(principally,China,JapanandRussia)inthecontextofinternationallaw.HehasprovidedinsightfulobservationsabouttheinternationaltensionsandtheideologicalstrugglesduringtheearlyyearsoftheColdWarleadingtothewarintheKoreanPeninsula.Hisin-depthanalysisofthefactorswhichcontributedtotheinvolvementofChinaintheKoreanWarisbothenlighteningandeducative.

GiventheplethoraofworksonKoreathathaveappearedsince1953,tomakeclearthefocusandorientationofthisbook,thiseditioncarriesthesub-title“AStudyinConflict,DiplomacyandInternationalLaw”.

InthewordsofProfessorWongKwaiHuenBBS,JP,thisbookis“apieceofimportantacademicworkbyayoungpersonwhohadgivenhisownviews,perceptionandfeelingofthewaratthetimewhenitwasstillhappening.Thisisnotjustabook;itisalivinghistoryofitsownright.”

Yourssincerely

Thebookoffers,asProfessorReyeswritesinhisPreface,abriskaccountofrelationsbetweenKoreaandJapanpriorto1895,followedbyacloseexaminationofKoreandiplomaticrelationsfromtheRusso-JapanesewartotheoutbreakoftheKoreanWar.Throughouthisnarrative,Dr.HuinterspersesanalysesofKorea’sstatusasacountryfromthestandpointofinternationallaw.Ultimately,theworkisastudyforDr.HuofhowtheKoreanpeninsulafirstlost,andthenregaineditsinternationallegalpersonalityinthe20thcentury,albeitatthetragicpriceofitsunity.

Thedissertationis,however,morethanjustanexerciseindiplomatichistorycoupledwithtechnicallegalcommentary.Thebookisitselfanimportantdocumentofhow“theKoreanquestion”wasperceivedbyinternationallawyersinthe1950swhenDr.Huwaswriting.Sixtyyearslater,itissalutarytoreflectonthatperceptioninlightofthetensionsbetweenNorthandSouthKoreathatcontinuetobesetusinthe21stcentury.ThereadermightaskwhetherinternationallawyerscouldandshouldhavedonesomethingmorrldWarIItoachieveKoreanunityandwhether,inlightofthefailuresofthe1950shighlightedbyDr.Hu,internationallawshouldbere-thinkingitspremisestoday.