Becoming Kim Jong Un: A conversation with author Jung Pak ’96, H’19
Tuesday, May 19, 2020 | 1:00 p.m. ET
Virtual Event
Join Jung Pak ’96, H’19, former CIA officer, as she discusses her new book, Becoming Kim Jong Un, and offers insights into North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Pak has been at the forefront of shaping U.S. policy on North Korea, providing strategic assessments for leadership at the highest levels in the government. The book traces and explains Kim’s ascent on the world stage and sheds light on how a top intelligence analyst assesses thorny national security problems: avoiding biases, questioning assumptions, and identifying risks as well as opportunities. This conversation will be moderated by Gus Coldebella ’91, former General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security.
Jung Pak ’96, H’19
Jung H. Pak is a senior fellow and the SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies at Brookings Institution’s Center for East Asia Policy Studies. She is the author of “Becoming Kim Jong Un: A Former CIA Officer’s Insights into North Korea’s Enigmatic Young Dictator” (Ballantine). Positioned as an authoritative book on North Korea under Kim Jong Un, this comprehensive account examines Kim’s personality, preferences, and policy choices, and the implications for North Korea’s internal stability, denuclearization, and global security.
Pak is an accomplished intelligence professional specializing in East Asia political and security issues with strong academic credentials. She has held senior positions at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Prior to her work in national security, Pak taught at Hunter College in New York City and studied in South Korea as a Fulbright Scholar.
Pak grew up in New York City and graduated from Colgate University where she served as a member of the Board of Trustees from 2009 to 2015. She received her doctorate from Columbia University in U.S. history. In 2019, she had the privilege of receiving an honorary doctorate from Colgate. She is on Twitter at @junghpak1.
Gus Coldebella ’91
Gus Coldebella is a lawyer, litigator and adviser to technology companies. He most recently served as Chief Legal Officer of Circle, a leading crypto finance company, leading legal, compliance, regulatory and government affairs.
During the Bush administration, Gus served as the Department of Homeland Security’s acting General Counsel, focusing on all security issues confronting the nation, and leading 1,700 lawyers across the department including at FEMA, TSA, Customs and Border Protection, Secret Service, and Coast Guard. Gus also has decades of experience in private practice, counseling clients on government and internal investigations, crisis management, cybersecurity, business litigation, and some of the most complex technology-driven risk issues facing global companies today.
Gus graduated Colgate in 1991, served as president of the Alumni Council, and is currently a vice-chair of the Board of Trustees. He received his J.D. magna cum laude from Cornell Law School. He is on Twitter @g_co.
Join Jung Pak '96, H'19, former CIA officer, as she discusses her new book and offers insights into North Korea's Enigmatic Young Dictator.
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