The Divided State by Joonhong Park Book Review

Released: 2nd May 2025

Genre: Politics, Society, Psychology

Number of Pages: 163

Making sense of modern politics is a difficult task tackled by authors of all stripes. One smaller scale effort has come from Joonhong Park in South Korea. For a debut book, it’s a worthwhile effort with room for expansion.

The Divided State is split into three main sections which are organised well. The first discusses the idea of “groupness”; man’s natural affinity for similar-minded connections and how it translates to modern society. The second part examines the movement and resistance of groups, homing in on how groups interact with each other. The final section describes how factions fit into the state and the clash between democratic structures and polarisation. This blend of sociology, politics and light psychology offers some thought-provoking questions for the reader.

When you look beyond the main ideas, the wider analysis needed more detail. For example, the author mentions how science and technology how played a major role in human development and civilization in the third section, but this isn’t tied into the central ideas. One of the central questions Park asks in the opening is why conservative parties have more of an advantage in current elections, but I felt this needed more expansion across both the chapters and conclusion.

Recommended?

MAYBE: The Divided State has some interesting ideas and theories on why groupness and polarised factions have become so widespread in modern politics. These are backed up with good sourcing and references. With that said, the book could have gone deeper and connect the key points to current events. What’s here will be of interest to those who follow global affairs.

(The author reached out to me to review this book and provided a digital copy at no charge)