Event Details
WHAT: "Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea's Personality Cult" an in-person book talk by Jonathan Cheng moderated by Melinda Liu. Co-organized by the RASBJ and the Embassy of Canada to China.
WHEN: Monday June 8, 2026, from 7:00-8:00 PM (Beijing Time). Doors will open at 6:30 PM.
WHERE: Embassy of Canada to China, Gate 1 (South Gate), 19 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District, Beijing. ๅ ๆฟๅคง้ฉปๅๅคงไฝฟ็ฎกไธๅท้จไธ็ด้จๅคๅคง่ก19ๅทๆ้ณๅบPlease provide an original, government-issued photo ID. Visitors are not permitted to bring electronic devices such as laptops and USB sticks into the Embassy; cellphones are permitted but usage is restricted.
MORE ABOUT THE EVENT: In his first book talk in China, Jonathan will trace the roots of North Korea's Kim dynasty back to state founder Kim Il Sung and his upbringing in the Presbyterian church -- and talk about how it came to shape the state that he founded and presided over for half a century (and then handed off to his son and later his grandson). Kim Il Sung, a fluent Chinese speaker, was born and raised on the outskirts of a city, Pyongyang, that was so thoroughly Christianized in the first half of the twentieth century that it was known as "the Jerusalem of the East." He spent many of his formative years in Manchuria, where he lived in the home of a Korean pastor who he later hailed as "the saviour of my life." Jonathan will share how his book project -- twelve years in the making -- came to life, and argue that it should change the way that we think about and understand North Korea. Published in April 2026, the book has been favorably reviewed by the New York Times, the Economist, and the New Yorker which named it one of the Best Books of 2026 So Far. It is available on Amazon.com including in Kindle and audiobook versions.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Jonathan Cheng is the China bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, overseeing the Journal's coverage of politics, economics, business, technology and society in China. He runs a team of more than two dozen correspondents and researchers in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore and New York. Before this, Jonathan was the Korea bureau chief for the Journal, running coverage of the Korean peninsula. He's been to North Korea twice. A native of Toronto, Canada, Jonathan graduated from Princeton University with a degree in history.
HOW MUCH: Free for RASBJ members and invited guests. If you wish to attend but are not a member of the Canadian community and are not an RASBJ member, you can join RASBJ as a member using the following link: https://rasbj.glueup.cn/org/rasbeijing/memberships
Then register for the event as described below.
HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT: Please click "Register" or "I Will Attend" no later than noon June 5, and follow the instructions. Be sure to provide the details of the passport or government-issued photo ID that you will use to enter the Embassy. After successful registration you will receive a confirmation email. If you appear not to have received it, please check your spam folder. As seating will be limited, please register early to avoid disappointment!
How to cancel a registration: If you have registered but find you cannot attend the event, please email communications@rasbj.org -- with as much notice as possible -- as a courtesy so that waitlistees may be given a chance to participate.
