The Impossible State Live Podcast: Korean Messiah

Please join us for this special episode of The Impossible State Live podcast, featuring Jonathan Cheng, The Wall Street Journal's China bureau chief and former Korea bureau chief and his new book, Korean Messiah. 

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At the center of this story is North Korea’s founder, Kim Il Sung, son of two fervent Christians and progenitor of an ideology known as Kimilsungism, an exercise in idolatry that has elevated him, and his successor son and grandson, to Christlike status, from the humble manger where he was born to the subway seat on which the venerated leader once placed his posterior, cordoned off as if it were a religious relic.

Moderated by Dr. Victor Cha, they will discuss how the surprising ties between the Kim dynasty and American Christianity shaped North Korea’s leadership and how power, belief, and narrative intersect in the hermit kingdom, influencing dynamics in Northeast Asia and the broader international landscape.

A recording of the event will be available on-demand following the livestream. An audio-only version of the show will be available in the Impossible State podcast feed on all platforms.

This event is made possible by the generous support of CSIS.