Charles K. Armstrong, a Professor of Korean Studies in the Social Sciences at the Ivy League Columbia University, is facing criticism over allegations of improper sourcing and misattribution in his 2013 book “Tyranny of the Weak: North Korea and the World, 1950–1992”.

The book, which examines the foreign policy of the DPRK from 1950 until 1992, received critical acclaim upon release from across the North Korea-watching community, was described as a "must read", and was awarded the prestigious John K.Fairbank Prize for East Asian History in 2014.