Biographies abound of Hitler, Stalin and Mao, but those of Kim are hard to come by: “Kim Il Sung: The North Korean Leader,” by Suh Dae-sook, was the last good one, published in 1988, six years ...

was a son of Kim Il Sung, and grabbed power after emerging victorious in family battles against his younger half-brother, Kim Pyong Il, and his stepmother, Kim Song Ae. In the past, Kim Jong Il ...