Excerpts from the Preface-- The Telecommunications Revolution in Korea

. . . Bruce Cumings noted over a decade ago that 'Korea is just not a place that Americans think about very often. ' I This observation remains largely accurate today. In the United States, Korea is still a seldom-discussed nation: when it does become the topic of conversation, the context is almost always that of mainstream press and media coverage, which is heavily oriented towards political events or crises.

Such lack of attention to Korea and the problem of inaccurate or outdated perceptions have an equally adverse effect on public policy formation, scholarship, and business. These views run counter to the interests both of Korea itself and those nations who seek to conduct trade, business, or cultural exchange with the country .Ironically, this quintessentially communication and information-centred problem exists during the very period in which policy-makers, scholars, and corporate executives alike are struggling to understand new information-centred realities. As an effort 'to inform', this volume represents one attempt to address the problem. I hope it will invite response and be joined by many others.

James F. Larson
Boulder, Colorado
June 1995

Note: Bruce Cumings, The Origins of the Korean War, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1981, p. xxix.