Andrew J. Nathan, the Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, wrote the article “Who is Kim Jong-un?” in the August 18, 2016 edition of The New York Review of Books. On September 14, 2016, Professor Nathan talked with host Jeremy Hobson on WBUR Radio’s “Here and Now” about the mysterious North Korean dictator.
Examining the historical and social contexts of Kim Jong-un’s rule in The New York Review of Books, Professor Nathan reviewed five recent books about North Korea, including Tyranny of the Weak: North Korea and the World, 1950-1992, by WEAI professor Charles K. Armstrong.
On “Here and Now,” Professor Nathan discussed the pressures on Kim Jong-un, noting that “He’s very young, and Korean society tends to respect old people. So this is a strike against him — he has to be really strong in order to tame everybody around him.”
Please click here to read the article.
Please click here to read or listen to Professor Nathan’s “Here and Now” interview.
