• Korean History and Political Geography [Asia Society]
"Koreans often use the proverb 'when whales fight, the shrimp’s back is broken' to describe their country’s victimization at the hands of larger, more powerful neighbors. ... In the twentieth century, Korea became the focus of rival interests among neighboring China, Japan, and Russia as well as the more distant United States."

• Massacre at Nogun-ri [Asia Society]
"At the beginning of the Korean War, US Army ground troops of the 7th Cavalry executed innocent civilian refugees over the course of four days. Fifty years after the fact, the world is learning about the massacre and trying to understand how crimes against humanity could occur, even during times of war."

Lesson Plan • The Hungnam Evacuation: The Korean War's Dunkirk? [PDF] [Korea Society]
For grades 9-12. "The Hungnam evacuation occurred in 1950... The North Korean and Chinese troops pushed the South Korean and U.S. military ... into a position similar to that of the British and French at Dunkirk during World War II. The only way to avoid being trapped and almost annihilated by the opposing forces was escape by sea." With primary and secondary sources.

Lesson Plan • The Korean War and Its Aftermath [PDF] [Korea Society]
For grades 9-12. Learning objectives: 1) List and explain the causes of the Korean War; 2) Explore the role of the South Koreans, Americans, and the UN in the war; 3) Analyze the short- and long-term outcomes of the Korean War; 4) Discuss how the Korean War fostered and promoted a lasting friendship between South Korea and the United States; 5) Recognize the vast economic and political differences between South Korea and North Korea.

Lesson Plan • Comparing War Monuments in North and South Korea [PDF] [Korea Society]
For grades 10-12. "Korea has been divided into two countries since 1945. Separated by a 2.5-km wide demilitarized zone that runs along the 38th parallel, the two Koreas have developed in very different ways and under very different ideologies. While the two societies are vastly different, when examining their monuments one can see that they share many features."

• The Geography of the Koreas [Asia Society]
"A geographic exploration of North and South Korea, including its location, climate, production and how Korea perceives herself."

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• Top Ten Things to Know about Korea in the 21st Century [PDF] [Education About Asia, Association for Asian Studies]

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• Christianity in Modern Korea [PDF] [Education About Asia, Association for Asian Studies]

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• Population Change and Development in Korea [Asia Society]
"Learn about how Korea transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the early 20th century to an economic giant in the early 21st century."

Pak Chônghûi, 1917-1979
Primary Sources w/DBQs • Selections from To Build a Nation (1971) [PDF] [Asia for Educators]

Kim Chiha, b. 1941
Primary Sources w/DBQs • "Five Bandits" (1970) [PDF] [Asia for Educators] 

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Lesson Plan • Famous Koreans: Six Portraits: Kim Dae-Jung (1924-) [Education About Asia, Association for Asian Studies]
Lesson plan designed "to provide an opportunity for students to learn about famous Koreans through readings and/or dramatizations." Brief overviews of the lives of six notable figures in Korea's history, including Kim Dae-jung (b. 1924), South Korea's president from 1998 to 2003 and the first Korean recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace.

Primary Source • Kim Dae-jung's Nobel Lecture [The Nobel Foundation]
The full text of Kim Dae-jung's Nobel Lecture, delivered on December 10, 2000.

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Lesson Plan • Famous Koreans: Six Portraits: Kim Il-Sung (1912-1994) [Education About Asia, Association for Asian Studies]
Lesson plan designed "to provide an opportunity for students to learn about famous Koreans through readings and/or dramatizations." Brief overviews of the lives of six notable figures in Korea's history, including Kim Il-Sung (1912-1994), the leader of North Korea from 1948 until his death. Each overview is imagined as a first-person narrative written by the historical figure.

Primary Source w/DBQs • "On Eliminating Dogmatism and Formalism and Establishing Juche in Ideological Work" (Speech, 1955) [PDF] [Asia for Educators]

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Primary Sources w/DBQs • Agreed Framework between the United States of America and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (1994) [PDF] [Asia for Educators]

Lesson Plan • The Security of the Korean Peninsula [PDF] [Korea Society]
For grades 9-12. Learning objectives: 1) Understand Korea's role in the Cold War; 2) Discuss how recent events [DMZ incident of July 1997] have either exacerbated or ameliorated the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

• A Visit to the DMZ: A Virtual Tour of the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea [Education About Asia, Association for Asian Studies]

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• Arirang: An Interactive Classroom on the Korean American Experience [Arirang Film Project and Center for Korean Studies, University of Hawai'i]
"The first Korean settlers arrived more than a century ago. With a large infusion of new settlers from Korea after 1965, the number of Korean Americans now approaches two million, yet little is known of their story. The goal of this site is to create acquaintance. It is about early Asian American immigration, resistance to foreign oppression, the new migration, and building a multi-cultural America." With an in-depth timeline, four lesson plans, and many images and video clips from the PBS documentary, Arirang.

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Kim Chiha, b. 1941
Primary Sources w/DBQs • "Five Bandits" (1970) [PDF] [Asia for Educators]

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