C-SPAN: The Rise and Rule of North Korea's Kim Dynasty →

The Sidebar with Steve Scully: As tensions with North Korea rise, this week we examine the history of that country's ruling Kim family. We spoke to Jean H Lee, author of "Kings of Communism: Inside Kim Jong Un's Bloody Scramble to Kill of His Family" in the September edition of Esquire Magazine. She also led the Associated Press's coverage of the Korean Peninsula as bureau chief from 2008 to 2013 and opened the AP’s Pyongyang bureau in January 2012. We spoke with Ms. Lee about the Kim family's rise to power, the idea of North Korea as an absolute monarchy, and the message Kim Jong Un sent with the assassination of his brother in February.