Becoming Kim Jong Un : A Former CIA Officer's Insights into North Korea's Enigmatic Young Dictator

Resumen del libro

A groundbreaking account of the rise of North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Un, from his nuclear ambitions to his summits with President Donald J. Trump from a former CIA analyst considered one of the leading American experts on the North Korean leader inside and outside the U.S. government.

When Kim Jong Un became the leader of North Korea in 2011, predictions about his imminent fall were rife. Instead, the opposite happened. He has solidified his grip on his country and brought it to the brink of war. Still, we know so little about him or how he rules. Enter former CIA analyst Jung Pak, a go-to authority on the calculating young leader. From the beginning of Kim's reign, Pak has been at the forefront of shaping U.S. policy on North Korea. Now, in this masterly book, she explains Kim's ascent, from his power-consolidating purges to his abrupt pivot toward diplomatic engagement and his historic summits with President Trump. She also sheds light on how a top intelligence analyst assesses thorny national security problems, avoiding biases and questioning assumptions. In piecing together Kim's wholly unique life, Pak argues that his personality, perceptions, and preferences are underestimated by policy wonks, who assume he sees the world as they do. As the North Korean nuclear threat grows, Becoming Kim Jong Un is an insightful, authoritative biography of the enigmatic man who could rule the hermit kingdom for decades and has already left an indelible imprint on world history.