VancouverGREATER VANCOUVER EVENT
CKR Book Talk: Korean Messiah
The Centre for Korean Research hosts author Jonathan Cheng to discuss his first book, Korean Messiah, covering Pyongyang’s Christian history, missionary Samuel Moffett and the roots of North Korea’s personality cult around Kim Il Sung.
- Date and time
- Location
- Liu Institute for Global Issues – xʷθəθiqətəm (Place of Many Trees) · 6476 NW Marine Drive · Vancouver · V6T 1Z2
- Organizer
- UBC Centre for Korean Research
About this event
On October 30, the Centre for Korean Research hosts Jonathan Cheng to discuss his first book, Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea’s Personality Cult, published by Alfred A. Knopf. Cheng takes readers into Pyongyang, once so dominated by Christianity that it was known as the “Jerusalem of the East.”
The talk introduces Samuel Moffett, a Presbyterian missionary from Madison, Indiana, who went to Pyongyang in the late nineteenth century and built a following that included the Kim family. It also examines North Korea’s founder Kim Il Sung, the Christian faith of his parents, and the development of Kimilsungism, an ideology that elevated him and his son and grandson to Christlike status.
Jonathan Cheng is The Wall Street Journal’s China bureau chief, overseeing coverage of China and Taiwan and leading a team of correspondents and researchers in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore and New York. He previously served as the Journal’s Korea bureau chief, covering North Korea and South Korean politics and business. He began as an intern in the Journal’s Hong Kong bureau and also worked as a markets reporter in its New York office.
The event runs from 3:30 to 5 pm on October 30, 2026, at Liu Institute for Global Issues – xʷθəθiqətəm (Place of Many Trees). Admission is free. Registration: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ckr-book-talk-korean-messiah-tickets-2002318164531.
This activity has multiple times, locations or fee options. Confirm participation using the full details below. 2026-10-30 15:30 to 2026-10-30 17:00 · 2026-10-30 15:30 – 2026-10-30 17:00 · Liu Institute for Global Issues – xʷθəθiqətəm (Place of Many Trees) · 6476 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2 · Vancouver · Scheduled · https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ckr-book-talk-korean-messiah-tickets-2002318164531 Admission · Free · CAD 0.00 · See conditions · General admission · All sessions · Tickets (Admission): free for this tier. · https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ckr-book-talk-korean-messiah-tickets-2002318164531