March 19, 2024

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.

More articles by 'Benjamin R. Young'

Cuba’s move to establish ties with Seoul betrays North Korea’s economic weakness

Cuba’s move to establish ties with Seoul betrays North Korea’s economic weakness

Pyongyang is likely fuming over perceived disloyalty of longtime ally, but bilateral ties have been marginal for years

Cuba’s move to establish ties with Seoul betrays North Korea’s economic weakness
Benjamin R. Young
Benjamin R. Young February 22, 2024
White Juche: How North Korea captured the imagination of the global far right

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

White Juche: How North Korea captured the imagination of the global far right
Benjamin R. Young
Benjamin R. Young November 13, 2023
How North Korean propaganda remembers the genocide of Native Americans

How North Korean propaganda remembers the genocide of Native Americans

Kim regime holds up America’s sins to paint US as incorrigible colonizer and deflect from its own human rights abuses

How North Korean propaganda remembers the genocide of Native Americans
Benjamin R. Young
Benjamin R. Young May 1, 2023
The Ukraine war has drawn North Korea back into Moscow’s political orbit

The Ukraine war has drawn North Korea back into Moscow’s political orbit

Pyongyang has offered vocal and material support for Russia’s invasion and stands to gain as conflict enters second year

The Ukraine war has drawn North Korea back into Moscow’s political orbit
Benjamin R. Young
Benjamin R. Young February 22, 2023
How North Korea’s revival of communism goes hand in hand with ultranationalism

How North Korea’s revival of communism goes hand in hand with ultranationalism

Uptick in communist rhetoric during pandemic highlights peculiar ideological mix regime uses to stay in power

How North Korea’s revival of communism goes hand in hand with ultranationalism
Benjamin R. Young
Benjamin R. Young June 15, 2022
After Ukraine, it’s time to take North Korea’s reunification aims seriously

After Ukraine, it’s time to take North Korea’s reunification aims seriously

Few expected Russia to invade. Now the world must prepare for the day DPRK too presses its land claims over South Korea

After Ukraine, it’s time to take North Korea’s reunification aims seriously
Benjamin R. Young
Benjamin R. Young March 17, 2022
North Korea’s got 99 problems and rural development is one

North Korea’s got 99 problems and rural development is one

2022 focus on agriculture reflects both growing food insecurity and Maoist-inspired efforts to improve countryside life

North Korea’s got 99 problems and rural development is one
Benjamin R. Young
Benjamin R. Young February 4, 2022
The North Korean studio that has animated a Christmas film and Italian cartoons

The North Korean studio that has animated a Christmas film and Italian cartoons

Newly sanctioned SEK Studio has worked with South Korean and European artists for decades, raising money for Pyongyang

The North Korean studio that has animated a Christmas film and Italian cartoons
Benjamin R. Young
Benjamin R. Young January 19, 2022
North Korea’s vital role as a Cold War training ground for global terrorists

North Korea’s vital role as a Cold War training ground for global terrorists

The country's designation as a state sponsor of terror is a well-deserved moniker stretching back decades

North Korea’s vital role as a Cold War training ground for global terrorists
Benjamin R. Young
Benjamin R. Young December 28, 2021
Film review: The problem with inter-Korean rivalry in ‘Escape from Mogadishu’

Film review: The problem with inter-Korean rivalry in ‘Escape from Mogadishu’

Box office hits glosses over North Korea’s complex history in Third World and is riddled with stereotypes about Africa

Film review: The problem with inter-Korean rivalry in ‘Escape from Mogadishu’
Benjamin R. Young
Benjamin R. Young December 14, 2021
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