The Great Successor: The Divinely Perfect Destiny Of Brilliant Comrade Kim Jong Un Divinely Perfect Destiny Of Brilliant Comrade Kim Jong Un

The behind-the-scenes story of the rise & reign of the world's strangest & most elusive tyrant, Kim Jong Un, by the journalist with the best connections & insights into the bizarrely dangerous world of North Korea.Since his birth in 1984, Kim Jong Un has been swaddled in myth & propaganda, from the plainly silly — he could supposedly drive a car at the age of three — to the grimly bloody stories of family members who perished at his command.Anna Fifield reconstructs Kim's past & present with exclusive access to sources near him & brings her unique understanding to explain the dynastic mission of the Kim family in North Korea. The archaic notion of despotic family rule matches the almost medieval hardship the country has suffered under the Kims. Few people thought that a young, untested, unhealthy, Swiss-educated basketball fanatic could hold together a country that should have fallen apart years ago. But Kim Jong Un has not just survived, he has thrived, abetted by the approval of Donald Trump & diplomacy's weirdest bromance.°°°Anna Fifield is the Tokyo bureau chief for the Washington Post, focusing on Japan & the Koreas. Previously she worked for the Financial Times for thirteen years. During her time there, she reported from almost twenty countries, from Iran & Libya to North Korea & Australia. During the 2013-2014 academic year, she was a Nieman journalism fellow at Harvard, studying how change happens in closed societies. Her work has appeared in Slate, & she has been a regular commentator on radio & television, including NPR.Skeptical yet insightful, Fifield creates a captivating portrait of the oddest & most secretive political regime in the world — one that is isolated yet internationally relevant, bankrupt yet in possession of nuclear weapons — & its ruler, the self-proclaimed Beloved & Respected Leader, Kim Jong Un. The behind-the-scenes story of the rise and reign of the world's strangest and most elusive tyrant, Kim Jong Un, by the journalist with the best connections and insights into the bizarrely dangerous world of North Korea. Since his birth in 1984, Kim Jong Un has been swaddled in myth and propaganda, from the plainly silly -- he could supposedly drive a car at the age of three -- to the grimly bloody stories of family members who perished at his command. Anna Fifield reconstructs Kim's past and present with exclusive access to sources near him and brings her unique understanding to explain the dynastic mission of the Kim family in North Korea. The archaic notion of despotic family rule matches the almost medieval hardship the country has suffered under the Kims. Few people thought that a young, untested, unhealthy, Swiss-educated basketball fanatic could hold together a country that should have fallen apart years ago. But Kim Jong Un has not just survived, he has thrived, abetted by the approval of Donald Trump and diplomacy's weirdest bromance. Skeptical yet insightful, Fifield creates a captivating portrait of the oddest and most secretive political regime in the world -- one that is isolated yet internationally relevant, bankrupt yet in possession of nuclear weapons -- and its ruler, the self-proclaimed Beloved and Respected Leader, Kim Jong Un. The behind-the-scenes story of the rise and reign of the world's strangest and most elusive tyrant, Kim Jong Un, by the journalist with the best connections and insights into the bizarrely dangerous world of North Korea. The Great Successor is an insightful quest to understand the life of Kim Jong Un, one of the world's most secretive dictators. Kim's life is swathed in myth and propaganda, from the plainly silly--he supposedly ate so much Swiss cheese that his ankles gave way--to the grimly bloody stories of the ways his enemies and rival family members have perished at his command. One of the most knowledgeable journalists on modern Korea, Anna Fifield has exclusive access to Kim's inner circle: the aunt and uncle who posed as his parents while he was growing up in Switzerland, members of the entourage that accompanied Dennis Rodman on his quasi-ambassadorial visits with Kim, and the Japanese sushi chef whom Kim befriended and who was the first outsider to identify him as the inevitable successor to his father as supreme ruler. She has been able to create a captivating portrait of the oddest and most isolated political regime in the world, one that is broken yet able to summon a US president for peace talks, bankrupt yet in possession of nuclear weapons. Kim Jong Un; ridiculous but deadly, and a man of our times Skeptical Yet Insightful, Fifield Creates A Captivating Portrait Of The Oddest And Most Secretive Political Regime In The World--one That Is Isolated Yet Internationally Relevant, Bankrupt Yet In Possession Of Nuclear Weapons--and Its Ruler, The Self-proclaimed Beloved And Respected Leader, Kim Jong Un.--book Jacket. The Apprenticeship -- The Beginning -- Living With The Imperialists -- Anonymous In Switzerland -- Dictatorship 101 -- The Consolidation -- A Third Kim At The Helm -- No More Belt Tightening -- Better To Be Feared Than Loved -- Goodbye, Uncle -- The Elites Of Pyonghattan -- Millennials And Modernity -- Playing Ball With The Jackals -- The Confidence -- Party Time -- The Unwanted Brother -- The Treasured Sword -- The Charm Offensive -- Talking With The Jackals. Anna Fifield. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 289-299) And Index. Since his birth in 1984, Kim Jong Un has been swaddled in myth and propaganda, from the plainly silly to the grimly bloody stories of family members who perished at his command. In this book Fifield reconstructs Kim's past and present with exclusive access to sources near him and brings her unique understanding to explain the dynastic mission of the Kim family in North Korea. Skeptical yet insightful, Fifield creates a captivating portrait of the oddest and most secretive political regime in the world -- and its ruler, the self-proclaimed Beloved and Respected Leader, Kim Jong Un