North Korean Sympathizers In America

Accuracy In Media ^ | Feb.12, 2003 | Reed Irvine and Cliff Kincaid

[conservativecorner]

The New York Times has belatedly acknowledged that some of the organizers of the January18th "anti-war" rally in Washington were communists. The Times admitted that "Some of the group's chief organizers are active in the Workers World Party, a radical Socialist group with roots in the Stalin-era Soviet Union. The party has taken positions that include defense of the Iraqi and North Korean governments…" We have suggested that the Times investigate how the group used front organizations like the International Action Center and International ANSWER to deceive people into joining their cause.

The recognition of the communist role seems to stand in striking contrast to a New York Times editorial that said that the demonstrators "represented what appears to be a large segment of the American public that remains unconvinced that the Iraqi threat warrants the use of military force at this juncture."

Another group active in America is called the "USA Korean Friendship Association," which claims to receive official information from North Korea and to have contacts at diplomatic levels with communist officials. Its key organizer says their activities are focused on "educational and awareness campaigns" in order to counter the Bush administration’s "lies and half-truths." Dominick Bruno says the group writes letters to newspapers and posts articles on Indymedia websites. Indymedia is a group of self-described independent media organizations offering alternative coverage of domestic and international events.

In July the U.S. branch of the Korean Friendship Association, the KFA, is sending a delegation to the international KFA meeting in North Korea, and reports that it is looking for sponsors to cover costs. It directs people to a Web site that features "The Great Leader Kim Il Sung" and "The Dear Leader Kim Jong Il." The KFA claims members in 49 countries. According to its own figures, the greatest percentage of its members worldwide live in China. But the second highest percentage is in the U.S.

Bruno’s letters include one to Workers World, the official newspaper of the Workers World Party, where he praised the paper for its "excellent" coverage of North Korea. He adds, "The president of the Korean Friendship Association was recently interviewed on National Public Radio." On Slate.com, Paul Boutin discovered that the North Korean Web page is designed by Alejandro Cao de Benos, a Spaniard who travels regularly to North Korea. Taking note of increasing publicity, Boutin added, "The BBC and New York Times have linked to him. NPR called him the other week to chat."

An article in Workers World refers to Kim Il Sung has directed a "liberation force" and highlights the "Korea Truth Commission" for exposing the actions of the "imperialist" U.S. That group happens to include members of the Workers World Party, but the paper didn’t tell us that. Its Web site urges people to check out links to several other groups, including its front organizations International ANSWER and the International Action Center. It’s quite a cozy group.

[conservativecorner]

Can we not bring these people up on treason charges?

[ez]

"The BBC and New York Times have linked to him. NPR called him the other week to chat."

Fellow travelers.

[judicial meanz]

I wish somebody would start charging these people. Its way past time and overdue for some treason charges to be filed on a bunch of outright treasonous acts going on all over this country, both at the state and federal level.

[holdmuhbeer]

I think these people need to be rooted out of our society and shipped out. There is a difference between free speech and treason.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Notify the Department of Homeland Defense and the counterintelligence contact point for the FBI.

This group in support of North Korea within our borders is an internal security and sedition risk.

I would cc this article, provide names of the organizers, and also any other information on this organization to DHD as much as possible and as frequently as possible to get their attention.

[Steve_Seattle]

Someone should tell this to Molly Ivins, the sloppy-fat self-proclaimed "sassy" Texas "gal" who is making a career out of Bush-bashing. Last week she wrote a column blasting the Conservative Political Action Caucus convention because some of the speakers pointed out that prominent leaders of the anti-war movement are Marxists, an accusation which she viewed as "McCarthyism."

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Wonder who she lifted that from ?

[Van Jenerette]

...later read.

[staytrue]

There is a difference between free speech and treason

I don't think this is treason. During the Clinton years, using this logic, every freeper could have been charged with treason. We actively opposed the duly elected president of the US, actively supported his ouster and actively opposed his policies and their implementation. From Clinton's point of view, this could have been interpreted as treason.

[conservativecorner]

Free speech does not include the call for an overthrow of our Govt.! Did any of us do this when Clinton was in office?

[Steve_Seattle]

I agree that expressing opinions critical of the president's foreign policy is not treason, but Freepers who criticized Clinton were not siding with governments or movements hostile to the U.S. (except for a handful who suddenly found something to like about Milosevic just because Clinton was going to war against him). But I do seem to recall that some Dems regarded criticism of Clinton as borderline treason, but I haven't saved anything from those years to substantiate that.

[holdmuhbeer]

Aiding and abeting an enemy of the U.S. Government is treason. ex. Hanoi Jane-traitor, Sean Penn-traitor,
Jihad Johnny-traitor. People marching and protesting-not traitor.

[houstonian]

I think the demarcation is whether these groups received funding from hostile governments overseas.