On May 2, 2014, North Korea aroused considerable international attention (and indignation) when the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) compared U.S. President Barack Obama to a “wicked black monkey.” To hammer the message home, a Korean-language article published soon after quoted four North Korean citizens who elaborated on the monkey image by focusing specifically on Obama’s physical appearance and ethnic origin. For instance, a metal worker named Kang Hyuk was quoted as follows: “Africa’s national zoo will be the perfect place for Obama to live with licking bread crumbs thrown by visitors.”

At first glance, the motives behind this