The Sidebar with Steve Scully: As tensions with North Korea rise, this week we examine the history of that country's ruling Kim family. We spoke to Jean H Lee, author of "Kings of Communism: Inside Kim Jong Un's Bloody Scramble to Kill of His Family" in the September edition of Esquire Magazine. She also led the Associated Press's coverage of the Korean Peninsula as bureau chief from 2008 to 2013 and opened the AP’s Pyongyang bureau in January 2012. We spoke with Ms. Lee about the Kim family's rise to power, the idea of North Korea as an absolute monarchy, and the message Kim Jong Un sent with the assassination of his brother in February.
TALKS & PRESENTATIONs
RECENT Events
Jean served as emcee of the 3rd Annual Women of Impact event held by the East-West Center, where the EWC’s Board of Governors honored President Hilda C. Heine of the Marshall Islands with this year’s Women of Impact Award to celebrate the remarkable achievements of women leaders. Jean also moderated a discussion exploring the role of women in innovation and their impact on addressing critical challenges with Dr. Yanghee Lee, Professor Emeritus, Sungkyunkwan University, Department of Child Psychology and Education; Mona Pasquil Rogers, Director of California Government Engagement, Meta, and Kristen Udui, Graduate Degree Fellow, East-West Center. View photos from the event on Flickr.
On Oct. 15, 2024, Jean spoke at the Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono’s Asia Summit at New Zealand’s Parliament in Welllington, joining leading experts on Asia from New Zealand and offshore to discuss the big trends shaping the region for an event marking the Foundation’s 30th anniversary.
FEATURED TALKS
Featured
ARCHIVE
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2024
- Oct 26, 2024 East-West Center: Women of Impact Awards 2024 Oct 26, 2024
- Sep 26, 2024 Atlantic Council's Global Future Forum: Reporters at risk Sep 26, 2024
- Jun 25, 2024 East-West Center: International Media Conference 2024 Jun 25, 2024
- Jan 10, 2024 East-West Center: Assignment Pyongyang: A Journalist’s Perspective on Life in Kim Jong Un’s North Korea Jan 10, 2024
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2023
- Jul 27, 2023 House Foreign Affairs Committee: Illicit IT: Bankrolling Kim Jong Un Jul 27, 2023
- May 21, 2023 Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital May 21, 2023
- Apr 13, 2023 Korea Society: The North Korean Cyber Threat Apr 13, 2023
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2022
- Oct 21, 2022 Indiana University: IKS Conference on the US-Korea Relationship Oct 21, 2022
- Sep 28, 2022 University of Georgia: US-Korea Security Forum Sep 28, 2022
- Sep 26, 2022 BBC: The Lazarus Heist LIVE in New York City Sep 26, 2022
- Sep 25, 2022 BBC World Service: The Lazarus Heist: Live in New York Sep 25, 2022
- Jun 20, 2022 East Asia Institute: Financing Pyongyang’s Provocations - Kim Jong Un’s Cyber Strategy Jun 20, 2022
- Feb 18, 2022 Duke University: A Look Inside North Korea's Kim Regime Feb 18, 2022
- Feb 15, 2022 NCNK/Network 20/20: South Korea’s Election and Its Impact on U.S.-ROK-DPRK Relations Feb 15, 2022
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2021
- Sep 17, 2021 Hudson Institute: Kim Jong Un and the Northeast Asian Arms Race Sep 17, 2021
- Sep 6, 2021 CDA Institute: Enhancing engagement with North Korea: What Canada can do Sep 6, 2021
- Mar 4, 2021 Korea Society: New Developments in Inter-Korea Relations Mar 4, 2021
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2020
- Mar 22, 2020 War on the Rocks: COVID in North Korea Mar 22, 2020
- Mar 19, 2020 NBR: South Korea in a Challenging Maritime Security Environment Mar 19, 2020
- Mar 18, 2020 The National Bureau of Asian Research: South Korea in a Challenging Maritime Security Environment Mar 18, 2020
- Mar 18, 2020 Wilson Center: Geopolitical Implications of the Coronavirus for the Indo-Pacific Mar 18, 2020
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2019
- Sep 9, 2019 Need to Know: Negotiations and Love Notes - Where Do The North Korea Nuclear Talks Stand? Sep 9, 2019
- Feb 6, 2019 Wilson Center: Book launch of Van Jackson's "On the Brink" Feb 6, 2019
- Jan 30, 2019 Wilson Center: Geopolitical Implications of a New Era on the Korean Peninsula Jan 30, 2019
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2018
- Nov 22, 2018 National Geographic: Inside North Korea's Dynasty Nov 22, 2018
- Nov 16, 2018 Moon Jae-in and Inter-Korean Détente: Korea Strategic Review 2018 Nov 16, 2018
- Nov 15, 2018 Korea Global Forum 2018: A New Path Forward: Charting a Roadmap to Peace on the Korean Peninsula Nov 15, 2018
- Jun 12, 2018 Wilson Center: North Korea Summit: Historic Deal or Just a Historic Handshake? Jun 12, 2018
- May 1, 2018 Milken Institute Global Conference 2018: Avoiding War with North Korea May 1, 2018
- Apr 25, 2018 Wilson Center: New Year, New Strategy: Shifting Policies on North Korea in 2018 Apr 25, 2018
- Apr 12, 2018 International Journalism Festival: Foreign correspondents: how women have changed the role Apr 12, 2018
- Mar 13, 2018 Wilson Center: The Trump-Kim Summit: High Stakes, Uncertain Prospects Mar 13, 2018
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2017
- Nov 30, 2017 United States Institute of Peace: Is Diplomacy Possible with North Korea? Nov 30, 2017
- Nov 29, 2017 Korea Economic Institute: Soap Operas and Socialism: Kim Jong-un’s Policy Priorities through TV Dramas in North Korea Nov 29, 2017
- Oct 24, 2017 Zocalo Public Square: Before going to war in North Korea, try understanding the place first Oct 24, 2017
- Oct 12, 2017 BROOKINGS NOW What do experts make of the North Korea challenge? 5 takeaways from a Brookings event Oct 12, 2017
- Oct 10, 2017 Brookings Institution: The path forward: Who is Kim Jong Un? Oct 10, 2017
- Sep 12, 2017 COMEXI: North Korea: An unfinished war, an insight from Seoul by Jean H. Lee Sep 12, 2017
- Aug 25, 2017 C-SPAN: The Rise and Rule of North Korea's Kim Dynasty Aug 25, 2017
- Jun 7, 2017 Chicago Council: NORTH KOREA ON THE BRINK? Jun 7, 2017
- May 19, 2017 IFES: Preventing North Korea's Nuclear Breakout May 19, 2017
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2016
- Dec 6, 2016 Wilson Center: Beyond Caricatures: Writing About the Real North Korea Dec 6, 2016
- Jul 29, 2016 Aspen Security Forum: Peril on the 38th Parallel Jul 29, 2016
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2015
- Dec 10, 2015 UMG and Korea Press Foundation: Realizing Freedom of Information in North Korea Dec 10, 2015
- Nov 18, 2015 Global Education Conference Nov 18, 2015
- Nov 9, 2015 Unification Media Group: #신지은의 통일공감 13회 #진 리 Jean H. Lee (前 AP통신 서울평양 지국장) Nov 9, 2015
- Oct 14, 2015 UCLAN Korea Conference Oct 14, 2015
- May 14, 2015 Korea Society: Opening Pyongyang May 14, 2015
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2014
- Sep 7, 2014 Radio NZ: The trickiest job, reporting North Korea Sep 7, 2014
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2013
- Dec 1, 2013 East Asia Foundation: Daily life in North Korea in the Kim Jong Un Era Dec 1, 2013
- May 30, 2013 Asia Society: Interview: AP's Jean H. Lee Covers Both Koreas with Objectivity, Understanding May 30, 2013
- May 26, 2013 AAJA: Uncovering North Korea May 26, 2013
- Mar 9, 2013 SXSW: Tweets from the DMZ: Social Media in North Korea Mar 9, 2013
Leading U.S. experts and former officials to identify actionable policy steps the White House and Congress should take to address the growing threat from North Korea.