Forever President

Michael J. Seth is a historian at James Madison University and one of the foremost experts on the history of Korea. His many books include Korea: A Very Short Introduction (2020) and Korea at War (2023).

Michael Seth traces the life of North Korea's famous leader from the Japanese colonial period to his final days. This concise and highly readable volume avoids excessive moralizing while helping readers to understand how Kim Il Sung gained and retained power. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the Kim Dynasty and how North Korea became the totalitarian state that it is today. - Gregg A Brazinsky, Professor of History and International Affairs, The George Washington UniversityMuch of Kim Il Sung's life 'remains a mystery' says Michael Seth. So does his death, aged 82, in 1994. For half a century the North Korean dictator confounded international opinion and the geo-political odds to father a nation and found a dynasty. Having comfortably outlived mentors like Stalin, Mao and Ho Chi Minh, officially he yet lives as the state's 'Forever President'. Seth's necessarily political biography is judicious, authoritative and unexpectedly readable. - John Keay, author of Himālaya: Exploring the Roof of the WorldA fascinating look into the man that founded and transformed North Korea into an ultra-militaristic and highly repressive state. - Benjamin R. Young, author of Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader