Pro-North Korea Group Linked to Tech Billionaire

A relatively obscure organization with strong ties to a nonprofit led by tech billionaire Neville Roy Singham is a pro-North Korea group that criticizes the United States and aims to sever U.S. relations with South Korea. This information has come to light from various sources.

Known as Nodutdol, which translates to “stepping stone” in Korean, the organization claims to have been established to foster “U.S.-Korea understanding and education,” according to its tax filings as a nonprofit.

However, its actual agenda appears to focus on radicalizing the American left, uniting members through a shared disdain for what they label “American imperialism.”

Recently, Nodutdol has joined the anti-ICE movement, as seen in their activities over the past few months. “As imperialist warmongers and far-right forces threaten South Korea’s future, we stand together to revitalize the Korean liberation movement,” they proclaimed in an invitation for the Korean People’s Summit held in New York last July.

The three-day summit attracted around 500 participants, with some critics highlighting the event’s inclusion of “Tujen,” a song described as a communist revolutionary anthem from North Korea.

During a related conference in Colorado in 2024, members celebrated aspects of North Korea’s electoral system. Haruki Eda, a sociology professor at the University of Colorado and part of Nodutdol, argued that “the American media defines democracy in a completely different way.”

Eda, who is Korean but was raised in Japan, stated that she came to America to learn about the LGBTQ+ movement.

He claimed that “in the tradition of communist and socialist electoral systems, we thoroughly debate candidates before voting, which is why election results are often 100 percent.” This claim was framed as a “community-based, grassroots… way of determining leaders,” a depiction that feels somewhat peculiar.

Nodutdol was established in 1999 by John Cho, a controversial politician from Queens who resigned from the city’s Comptroller’s Office in 2012 amid allegations of his pro-North Korea sympathies, a connection he denied. He later garnered support from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during his unsuccessful City Council campaign in 2021.

The organization reported an income of only $55,000 on its last U.S. tax return and doesn’t reveal its membership details. Notably, its board features university faculty, filmmakers, and even a U.S. congressman.

Among the group’s primary goals is to dissolve the U.S.-South Korea alliance and advocate for the unification of North and South Korea.

Nodutdol is among the smallest factions within a network of far-left organizations linked to Singham, who currently resides in China. This network includes Singham’s nonprofit, the People’s Forum, and his wife’s group, Code Pink, both of which have faced scrutiny regarding potential Chinese influence, according to a State Department report to Congress.

Nodutdol organizes events at the People’s Forum in Midtown, often hosting seemingly innocuous gatherings such as the year-end “Kimchi Bowl” fundraiser and an upcoming Year of the Horse celebration, aimed at educating attendees about South Korea’s revolutionary figures.

Recently, the group has aligned itself with the anti-ICE sentiment to strengthen its standing among left-leaning Americans. “As anti-imperialists, we recognize that the violence inflicted by ICE in the U.S. correlates with the struggles Koreans face under U.S. intervention,” they stated in a recent promotional message for their New Year’s Celebration.

“This Lunar New Year, we say: America from everywhere, ICE from our communities!”

Analyst Stu Smith from the Manhattan Institute remarked on the group’s activities, describing instances that range from casual K-pop dance parties to overtly political events, such as singing North Korean chants in New York churches coupled with critiques of the U.S.

“This is still a country that is actively working to undermine America,” he noted. “Just because we’re a nonprofit doesn’t mean we’re free to act without repercussions.”

Nodutdol has not responded to requests for comment regarding these activities.