Who is Kim Jong-un?

Jung Pak, senior fellow in Foreign Policy and the SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies, discusses North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s rise to power, his objectives, and the United States’ military and diplomatic options for the Korean peninsula. In a new Brookings Essay, “The education of Kim Jong-un,” Pak further explains Kim’s upbringing and makes recommendations for thwarting Kim’s ambitions.

Also in this episode, David Wessel discusses his views on the recent volatility of the stock market and what relationship, if any, it has to the economy.

Related content:

The education of Kim Jong-un

Beyond maximum pressure: A pathway to North Korean denuclearization

Regime insecurity or regime resilience? North Korea’s grand strategy in the context of nuclear and missile development

What’s really driving Kim Jong-un’s behavior?

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Thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo with assistance from Mark Hoelscher, and to producers Brennan Hoban and Chris McKenna. Additional support comes from Jessica Pavone, Eric Abalahin, Rebecca Viser, our intern Steven Lee, and from David Nassar.

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