Ignorantia non excusat.
There’s a story in today’s New York Post to which the only possible answer is: Ignorance is no excuse. (It sounds more definitive in Latin, yes?)
The Post reports that more than 500 people gathered a couple of weeks ago at Riverside Church in Harlem to celebrate North Korea, and to call for the reunification of North and South Korea, under the leadership of Kim Jung-un. Who were these profoundly ignorant people who apparently do not know that North Korea is one of the most despotic nations on earth, where personal liberties do not exist, and where, according to the BBC, starvation is widespread?
Mamdani’s Crew Celebrates North Korea – It Doesn’t Get Stupider than That https://t.co/DhB4iHHnhT pic.twitter.com/SGduxXYTou
— Liz Peek (@lizpeek) August 6, 2025
They were members of the New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. Who else claims affiliation with that group? Why, none other than Zohan Mamdani, who wants to be mayor of the capitalism center of the United States – New York.
Mamdani did not personally attend the gathering, but people should note that the folks who did – members of his political tribe — are also behind his candidacy. These groups should not be allowed anywhere near City Hall.
Hosting a pro-North Korean rally is like marching to support the plague, or maybe the brutality of Hamas. Oh- wait – the Democratic Socialists do that, too. Not the plague, but rather Hamas terrorists.
The rally was not just whooped up about North Korea; it was also anti-American, using quaint and time-tested calls for “death to imperialism” and the end of “U.S. domination of Korea”. The keynote speaker, one Brian Becker, says that one of the “problems we face in the U.S. is the non-stop demonization of the DPRK”, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Actually, one of the problems we face in the U.S. is people like Becker, who is associated with Students for Justice in Palestine and other lefty groups responsible for disrupting college campuses and targeting Jewish students. He is also linked to the group that once harbored Elias Rodriguez, who assassinated two Israeli embassy workers in D.C. last May. These are, quite simply, bad people.
The truth is the U.S. doesn’t dominate North Korea; Kim Jung-un, who propagandists claimed could drive a car at the age of three, does that all by himself. This loathsome individual has starved his people, investing what money this desperately poor country has, estimated at $500 million, in nuclear weapons and other arms. Today he is sending his soldiers to fight for Vladimir Putin in his war against Ukraine, literally making them into cannon fodder. They go to the front not speaking Russian, untrained and unable to follow commands, and they are quickly obliterated. It is horrifying but evidently NK’s leadership doesn’t care. They are currying favor with Russia and China (which notably does NOT offer up its people to be slaughtered for Putin.) NK is dependent on China, which treats its impoverished neighbor mainly as the friendly leper next door.
NK ranks 180th in income per capita compared to other countries; it also ranks 170 out of 180 in the world’s most corrupt nations. While millions of people attempt to get into the U.S., thousands used to try to flee North Korea every year; some were successful, others were routinely shot dead as they attempted to cross the border. Since NY closed its border in 2020 because of Covid, escaping is virtually impossible. People interviewed by the BBC say they are simply waiting to starve to death.
Like most authoritarian leaders, Kim Jong-un is terrified that his people will realize how badly off they are, especially compared to their wealthy neighbors to the south. If any of them could access satellite images, they would note that NK is mostly dark while South Korea is ablaze with lights, and life. But they cannot see those photos, or any other information about the world outside the Hermit Kingdom. In 2020 North Korea adopted a new law outlawing foreign films, TV shows and songs. This Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act called for the execution of those caught distributing South Korean content.
This is the country the Democratic Socialists of America morons at the Riverside Church were celebrating. Do we really want them picking our next mayor?
