ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with a new interpretation of the post-Korean War history of Korea. Most historians have interpreted and explained modern Korean history, including the Korean War, as a part of the Cold War. However, it is important to remember that Korea is built not only on a foundation of the Cold War, but also by the international community and society of states acting on an idealism expressed in sacrificed time, energy, and resources. The Republic of Korea was not built primarily on an anti-communist construct, but rather liberal internationalism in the form of an application of Wilsonian principles. By introducing primary sources of stories of people of International Governmental Organizations and Non-Governmental Organization who sacrificed their time and energy in building Korea as a modern nation, this chapter newly shows that Wilsonianism has affected the history of the Korean Peninsula and that the future of Korea will be shaped by Wilsonianism.
