Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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History of North Korea's Origins, from 2333 BC to 1953. In this lecture, we explore how North Korea was formed under Kim Jong Un's grandfather, Kim Il-Sung, beginning with the Russo-Japanese War and ending with the Korean War. We also cover the Joseon Dynasty and give a biography of Kim Il-Sung.

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SOURCING:
Korea: Where the American Century Began by Pembroke 2018
The Korea War, an International history by Haruki. 2018
The Forgotten Political Elites of North Korea. Tertitskiy 2024
Origins of the Korean War Cumings Parts 1 & 2. 1981, 1992.
Lankov. From Stalin to Kim Il Sung. 2002
Forever President Michael J. Seth. 2025
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Kim Il-sung in the Khrushchve era 2005

Article (Abstract) Eom: Collusive Oligopolistic Politics: Sedo...2012. UBC.
UNESCO "Archives of the Donghak Peasant Revolution"
National Palace Museum of Korea. Su-hee Park. "Recording the Brief History of the Korean Empire"
Intern, “Reflections of Joseon in DPRK’s Songbun Caste System.”
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Accidental Tyrant: The Life of Kim Il-Sung: Tertitskiy, Fyodor
The Man and His Era: William Taubman
North Korea: What Everyone Needs to Know: McEachern
Tyranny of the Weak : North Korea and the World, 1950-1992.
Kim Il-Sung: The Controversial Life and Legacy of North Korea’s First Supreme Leader.
Land Reform in South Korea, 1945–1948. Journal of Cold War Studies 18, no. 2 (2016)
“North Korea in a Nutshell: A Contemporary Overview: Oh, Kongdan, Hassig, Ralph
“Leader Symbols and Personality Cult in North Korea: The Leader State.” pg 51-77
The North Korean Revolution, 1945–1950 Charles K. Armstrong

00:00-1:32 Intro
1:33-41:37 Japan, Russia, Roosevelt
41:38-02:38:26 Korea in Japan
02:38:27-02:48:12 Stalin and Cat interrugnum
02:48:13-03:31:31 1945-1946
03:31:32-03:50:31 1947-48
03:50:32-04:18:56 1949-Korean War

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