"Big Brother, Little Brother provides a fascinating case study of the impact of American culture on an East Asian nation. Sang-Dawn Lee's concise cultural history describes how the influx of U.S. aid to South Korea during the Lyndon B. Johnson years led not only to political hegemony but also to cultural hegemony of the one nation over the other. Koreans adapted the "American dream," and in their newfound wealth and success imitated, and often venerated, American ways.

In military conflicts at the end of the Johnson years, however, the United States proved not to be the supportive "big brother" Korea had looked to; political disappointments then influenced a reemergence of Korean culture and ideology. Exploring the impact of American involvement in Korean affairs on Korean thought, popular culture, and women's rights, Lee then charts the evolution of a new Korean nationalism of the late 1960s."--BOOK JACKET.