Publishers Weekly
★ 09/23/2019
Korea analyst Chung Min Lee (Fault Lines in a Rising Asia) delivers a crisp examination of the rise and reign of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. According to Lee, the “ruthless and smart” Kim wants to do the impossible: Modernize North Korea’s economy without sacrificing his supremacy or the nation’s growing nuclear arsenal. Lee’s insightful précis of the Kim clan’s violent history reveals the extent to which the family has relied on executions, forced labor, and torture as tools of political oppression, and his breakdown of the current power structure is vital to any genuine understanding of the regime. Even as Kim scores prestige points domestically and internationally for his summit meetings with President Trump, Lee writes, the infallibility of the Kim dynasty has largely vanished from the hearts and minds of North Korea’s elites, who have learned to fend for themselves in the country’s informal jangmadang, or free market, system. Gaming out scenarios for the collapse or survival of the regime, Lee cogently assesses the political and military interests of the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia, and Japan. Though he sees President Trump’s overtures to Kim as doing more harm than good, Lee believes that “freedom and democracy” are “the weapons of mass destruction Kim Jong Un fears most.” This is an excellent summation of one of the world’s most complex geopolitical flash points. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
"A chilling portrait of a littler understood, often underestimated leader." —Lesley Williams, Booklist Review
“Critical reading for anyone interested in the future of the Korean Peninsula…Refreshing, honest and steeped in the analytic judgements of a long-time watcher of the hermit kingdom.” —Evan Medeiros, Penner Family Chair in Asian Studies, Georgetown University
“Full of insights too often missed in the recent focus on North Korea's nuclear threat and Trump-Kim summitry. Lee not only highlights the history, culture and context that has shaped Kim Jong Un, but explains why Kim faces an enormous ‘Catch-22’ in pursuing economic transformation of his country while maintaining his grip on power. A stimulating and highly readable contribution.” —Kathleen Stephens, former US Ambassador to South Korea
“A breakout book from an author with more than thirty years of experience as one of Asia’s top security experts. No one in South Korea can tell the North Korean story to an American audience more compellingly than Chung Min Lee.” —Hyun In-taek, Professor of International Relations, Korea University and former Minister of Unification
“A comprehensive and up-to-date picture of North Korea under Kim Jong Un. If one wants to make sense of recent news concerning North Korea, this book is a must-read.” —Andrei Lankov, Professor of North Korean Studies, Kukmin University and author of The Real North Korea
“Kim Jong Un desperately wants to become North Korea’s Deng Xiaoping, but that would require him to loosen his family’s grip on power. Lee explores this dilemma and details the ongoing abuses of the failing North Korean system. Read this book if you want to understand North Korea and its formidable leader.” —Michael Fullilove, Director of the Lowy Institute
