Keeping Up with the Kims: North Korea After Kim Jong-il

The death of North Korea’s “Supreme Leader” Kim Jong-il on December 17, 2011, marks an important moment in North Korean history as well as East Asian regional politics and international relations, prompting many to speculate on the future of one of the most isolated and misunderstood countries in the world.

Is the collapse of North Korea near? How will the 20-something new leader, Kim Jong-un, the designated successor, legitimize his power? How are China, South Korea, Japan, the United States and Russia responding to the changes? What possibilities and opportunities await between the two Koreas?

Roundtable panelists Marnie Anderson, assistant professor of history, Suzanne Gottschang, associate professor of anthropology, Jina Kim, assistant professor of East Asian studies, and Dennis Yasutomo, professor of government, will comment on the range of reactions to this watershed event and the issues behind it during a roundtable discussion on Monday, January 30, from noon to 1 p.m. in Campus Center 103/104.

The event is sponsored by the Program in East Asian Studies.