White Juche: How North Korea captured the imagination of the global far right

Analysis

White Juche: How North Korea captured the imagination of the global far right

White nationalists and neo-Nazis have held up DPRK as model of racial purity and autarky, despite its Marxist trappings

Benjamin R. Young November 13, 2023

White Juche: How North Korea captured the imagination of the global far right

A screenshot from an Atomwaffen Division propaganda video | Image: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

When police raided the Florida condo of neo-Nazi terrorists in 2018, the usual fascist swastikas and Nazi flags adorned the walls. However, an unusual banner hung in the living room of the Atomwaffen Division cell’s condo — the red-star flag of North Korea, which featured prominently in the home and was also an important part of this group’s iconography.

As it turned out, Atomwaffen Division had also published an online poster conveying its support for Pyongyang during the heightened U.S.-North Korea tensions of 2017. The poster's message declared, “We are with you Korea from the Belly of the Beast." A Juche hammer-sickle-and brush logo featured next to a swastika.

About the Author

Benjamin R. Young

Benjamin R. Young is an Assistant Professor of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University). He is the author of Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader: North Korea and the Third World (Stanford University Press, 2021). He received his Ph.D. from The George Washington University in 2018. He has previously taught at the U.S. Naval War College and Dakota State University. He has published peer-reviewed articles on North Korean history and politics in a number of scholarly journals and is a regular contributor to NK News.

View more articles by Benjamin R. Young Got a news tip?Let us know!