Preface Chapter 1 Korea’s Place in the World1. A Copernican Revolution 2. The Powers Surrounding Korea Chapter 2 China's Continental Hegemony and Korea's Choice1. The Birth of Chinese Civilization and the Korean Cultural Sphere 2. How Sinocentrism Worked 3. China and Korea Clash over Northeast Asia 4. China's Division and Koguryo's Small World Order 5. The Sino-Korean Hegemonic War in Northeast Asia 6. Japan's Splendor in Words, Isolation in Deed 7. Korea's Choice ― Caught Between Civilization and Barbarism 8. King Sejong the Great ― The Golden Age of Korean Civilization Chapter 3 The Rivalry Between Continental and Maritime Powers and Korea's Turmoil1. The Mongol Empire and the Emergence of Maritime Empires 2. Hideyoshi's Vision of Asian Hegemony ― Conquer China and India 3. The Seven-Year War Between Maritime and Continental Powers 4. Gwanghaegun's Capitulationism, Injo's Adventurism 5. Tokugawa's Isolationism ― Japanese Sinocentrism 6. The Challenge of Western Civilization and Asia's Response 7. The Daewongun ― The Tragedy of a Lack of Vision 8. The Enlightenment Faction ― Inexperience Leads to Crisis Chapter 4 Korea's Integration into the British-Japanese Co-Hegemony1. The Rise of Britain and the Fall of China 2. Korea's Strategic Fork in the Road 3. How Japan Beat China 4. Japan's Rise Hits a Russian Ceiling 5. Independence, Neutrality and the Great Han Empire 6. Russia Falls to the Anglo-Japanese Alliance 7. Was There No Way to Save Korea? Chapter 5 The Soviet-American Hegemonic Rivalry and Korea's Division1. America's 'Manifest Destiny' ― Toward the Pacific 2. Anglo-Saxons Decide Japan's Fate 3. The Four Powers as the Four Independence Movements 4. The Climax of the Vicious Cycle ― Division and War 5. Korea ― A Testing Ground of the Communist and Free World 6. The Korean War ― A Proxy World War III Chapter 6 The Sino-American Hegemonic Structure and Korea's Crossroads1. The Sino-Soviet Split and America's Resilience 2. Dismantling the Communist World ― A New World Order 3. American Hegemony and China's Challenge 4. China's Strategy ― Rising Peacefully 5. Japan's Fate ― Allying with America 6. Four Factors Deciding Korea's Fate Chapter 7 Unified Korea's Fateful Choice1. Korea's Vision 2. Korea's Strategy 3. Korea's Destiny Notes