Drinking the Kool-Aid | NK News
NK News Logo
October 11, 2024
Analysis

Drinking the Kool-Aid

Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple's Relations with Kim Il Sung's North Korea

In 1976, members of the Peoples Temple, the infamous cult led by Jim Jones, moved from California to the Caribbean coastal nation of Guyana to create a socialist utopia.

The tragic ending of this failed social experiment is well-known – 909 members of the cult committed mass suicide on November 18, 1978 by drinking cyanide-laced Flavor Aid – but many do not know that, in the Guyanese jungle, there was a little slice of North Korea.

Try unlimited access
Only $1 for four weeks

  • Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis
  • Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period
  • The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop
  • Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns
  • Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting
Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts.
Subscribe now

All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time.