Privileged but Powerless: How North Korean Elite Grievances Reveal the Regime's Greatest Weakness

May 7, 2026 - Join us for a discussion with Dr. Jieun Baek , author of " Privileged but Powerless: How North Korean Elite Grievances Reveal the Regime's Greatest Weakness ." In conversation with policy director Jonathan Corrado , Baek reveals a world of forbidden information, simmering resentment, and survival-driven masks, based on hundreds of hours of interviews with high-level escapees. Baek argues that this performative loyalty, born of fear and a desire to survive, obscures a critical vulnerability within the regime's core. In other words: the officials who seem most invested in preserving North Korea's status quo may become its most dangerous disruptors, not for ideological reasons but because of simmering resentment and vanishing alternatives. This program is made possible by the generous support of the Kim Koo Foundation. The book is available for purchase here For more information, please visit the link below:

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Privileged but Powerless: How North Korean Elite Grievances Reveal the Regime's Greatest Weakness is an episode from The Korea Society by The Korea Society.

This episode is 45:14 long.

This episode was published on May 8, 2026.

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