Podcast
Real Dictators
The book was brought up by James Pearson, the award‑winning journalist who authored it, as a source of insight into Kim Jong‑il’s personality, rise to power, and his fascination with art, literature and film. Pearson described the leader as a privileged, eccentric figure whose public image contrasted with the logical and diplomatic demeanor reported by those who met him. The discussion highlighted the book’s coverage of private markets, fashion trends, prison camps, dissenters and defectors as context for understanding the regime.
Episode: Kim Jong-il Part 2: Time to Make a Movie…
James Pearson, an award-winning journalist and author, offered insights into Kim Jong-il's personality and methods of control. The book explores Kim Jong-il's rise to power and his impact on North Korea.
from the outside if you look at Kim Jong Il he's caused a torus for being quite a comic looking character he wore very high heels and his shoes to try and increase his height
he also had a very sort of large hairstyle to try and achieve the same thing and he is a subject of ridicule for many people in the outside of the country but when you talk to people who actually met him
they describe him as being a very logical reasonable charming for want of a better way of putting it diplomat,
Kim Jong-il just didn't have what his father had his father had some kind of genuine legitimacy
he had been sort of very much supported by the Soviets he had indeed fought the Japanese who had colonized Korea at the time so he had a kind of real legendary history to him and Kim Jong-il was basically a kind of spoiled rich kid
Episode: Kim Jong-il Part 1: Birth of North Korea
James Pearson, an award-winning journalist and author of this book, described Kim Jong-il's obsession with art, literature, and filmmaking, and how this interest influenced his later role in power.
Kim Jong-il was obsessed with art, literature, filmmaking.