The Religious Cult Behind North Korea’s Power (#303)
5/26/202620 min
We think of North Korea as a communist dictatorship. But Jonathan Cheng, the Wall Street Journal’s China Bureau Chief and former Korea Bureau Chief, says that misses the real story.
He argues North Korea functions more like a religion - complete with rituals, worship, and a ruling family treated like immortals. Once you hear it, you can’t unsee it.
His new book is Korean Messiah.
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First 90 secondsLynne Thomann· Host0:00
[chime] We think we understand North Korea. We call it communist, but is it? [gentle music] Hi, everyone. I'm Lynn Tolman, and this is Three Takeaways. On Three Takeaways, I talk with some of the world's best thinkers, business leaders, writers, politicians, newsmakers, and scientists. Each episode ends with three key takeaways to help us understand the world, and maybe even ourselves, a little better. Today, I'm excited to be with Jonathan Cheng. Jon is the China bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal. Before that, he served as the paper's Korea bureau chief. He's also the author of the wonderful new book, Korean Messiah. Welcome, Jon, and thanks so much for joining Three Takeaways today.
Jonathan Cheng· Guest0:52
It's a real pleasure to be here. Thanks for having me.
Lynne Thomann· Host0:54
It is my pleasure. Jon, what do most people misunderstand about North Korea? We call it communist, but is it?
Jonathan Cheng· Guest1:04
Well, it is communist to a degree. I don't wanna suggest that it isn't altogether. It was founded under the auspices of the USSR at the end of World War II in 1945. But I think that when we misunderstand North Korea, we misunderstand it by thinking that it is primarily a communist or socialist or Stalinist state. It certainly is that, and it certainly is a nation state. But I think perhaps even to think of it