Where in the world is Kim Jong-un? The dictator of North Korea who appears so fond of being filmed and photographed has disappeared from sight - and there are rumors that he is possibly dead. Social media, in particular, has turned the event into a meme, adding cultural references such as Game of Thrones to frame imaginary scenarios on what might follow in the vacuum left by the late supreme leader.
But for those who have been watching North Korea for a while, this is not a new occurrence. Leaders of this most opaque state have disappeared in the past. Our guest today, KEI Vice President Mark Tokola - a veteran of the US foreign service and former Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. embassy in Seoul - remembers those incidents. And with history as an added guide, he provides a more sober analysis of the ongoing mystery around the whereabouts of Kim Jong-un.
You can find Mark Tokola's article on this topic here: http://blog.keia.org/2020/04/kim-regimes-two-disappearances-funeral/
In addition, please find the RSVP for our discussion with Col. David Maxwell on potential instability in North Korea: https://share.hsforms.com/1sq5iU-1HSBuh9vCm4hpX_A2ztzy
Learning from Past Engagements with Pyongyang: Ambassador Chun Yung-woo
Growing Up as a Defector Migrant in South Korea
[Rebroadcast] Talk to Us in Korean: The Mavericks of Teaching Korean Online
[Rebroadcast] Korean American Day 2018: Photojournalist Chang Lee
[Rebroadcast] Covering PyeongChang: The Wall Street Journal's Jonathan Cheng
K-pop's HIgh Tide in the United States
How Would New U.S. Auto Tariffs Impact Hyundai and Kia?
Behind the Scenes of Repatriating American Soldiers' Remains from North Korea
Examining Korea’s Economic Growth: A View from the OECD
Ambassador Chris Hill on North Korea Negotiations
[Rebroadcast] Shamans, Goblins, and Ghosts: A Look at Korean Folk Culture
Farewell Podcast with KEI President Donald Manzullo
North Korea's Nuclear Identity
Can Science Diplomacy Help South Korea's Foreign Policy?
Summit Sum-Up: A Conversation with Ambassador Jim Zumwalt
Singapore Summit: Ambassador Joe Yun on the Big Trump-Kim Meeting
Covering the Korea Beat with Elise Hu
The Art of the Deal? A Proposed Framework for the Trump-Kim Summit
Kim Jong-un's Public Relations Strategy
Navigating the Moon-Kim Summit
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free