Korean Messiah

Cheng, the Wall Street Journal’s China bureau chief and former Korea bureau chief, writes about the Kim dynasty in this new book. Based on 15 years of research drawing from letters, diaries, and other archival material, Cheng begins with the story of Samuel Moffett, a Presbyterian missionary from Madison, Indiana, who traveled to Pyongyang and amassed a huge following. Korean Messiah (Knopf) fills in the gaps from Moffett to Kim Il Sung and explains how the Christian faith is at the center of it all.