The Northeast Asia History Working Group of the Hoover History Lab invites you to attend Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea's Personality Cult on October 26, 2026 from 4:30-6:30 pm PT in the Shultz Auditorium, George P. Shultz Building.
North Korea poses important questions for us in geopolitics and national security. What are the key drivers of change, and what ideas define and sustain North Korean society?
Join us for an in-depth conversation with Ria Roy and Joo Sung Ha, a North Korean escapee who today is an award-winning journalist in South Korea. The conversation will cover North Korean society, education, and culture, as well as Mr. Joo’s pivotal early encounter with the writing of Adam Smith. This conversation will aim to shed light on North Korea and the geopolitical challenges it poses within the region and beyond.
Joo Sung Ha is an award-winning journalist at The Dong-A Ilbo, a leading newspaper in Seoul, South Korea. Joo was born in North Korea but escaped in 2002. In 2003, he served as the Head of the Diplomatic Security Section in the Politics Bureau and also served on the DPRK-US Relations Task Force in the International Bureau. Currently, Joo serves as the Assistant Editor at the Contents Planning Bureau. Joo is the author of 20 books and has received numerous awards, including the Samsung Press Foundation’s inaugural Special Correspondent Award.
Ria Roy is a Kleinheinz Fellow at the Hoover Institution and a specialist in the history of modern Korea and East Asia. She leads the Northeast Asia History Working Group at Hoover, which focuses on the role of the middle powers and their alliances in the region, especially Japan and the two Koreas, drawing from new sources on both past and present geopolitical challenges. Ria is currently writing a book on leadership succession in the professedly socialist state of North Korea.
