If You Were Kim Jong-un...

What would YOU do if after attending a privileged boarding school and a few years of university abroad your destiny suddenly catapulted you into a position of highest authority and responsibility for a troubled and impoverished country, one seen as part of an “axis of evil?” This is exactly the situation Marshal Kim Jong Un faces today and I doubt if there are people around him who have enough courage or knowledge of the world to give him substantive advice. After all, most of them have been selected for their obedience and ability to implement the “wise guidance of the Leader” without daring to have their own opinions. North Koreans are not likely to rely on advice from foreign scholars, whether out of pride (chabusim) or suspicion of malicious intent. But being an irresponsible foreign scholar is a good opportunity to suggest some ideas about: “What would I do if I were Marshal Kim?” Please don’t think the author is a megalomaniac or that he fully shares the logic he thinks this young leader is about to follow.