A Korean American activist has been accused of receiving tens of thousands of dollars from a businessman tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), prompting the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to request that the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigate his organization, The People’s Forum (TPF).
According to the New York Post and Jerusalem Post, David Jeong (Korean name Sungmo Jeong), director of TPF, allegedly received about $75,000 each year since 2018 from Neville Roy Singham, an American businessman based in Shanghai. IRS records cited by the outlets state this included an annual salary of $64,021 and $9,581 in activity expenses. Singham is reportedly under investigation for funding radical left-wing and anti-U.S. groups while promoting CCP interests.
Reports say Jeong led a large pro-Palestinian rally in New York’s Times Square on October 8, 2023, one day after Hamas militants kidnapped Israeli civilians. He also took part in a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University last year, where, according to outlets, Jeong and other demonstrators entered the campus without authorization, damaged property, detained three staff members, and left graffiti such as “Death to America” on walls. Jeong had previously been arrested and later released after participating in a violent protest in New York under the slogan “Shut It Down for Palestine.”
TPF describes itself on its website as a “movement incubator” supporting causes such as socialism, racial justice, and anti-imperialism. The Senate Judiciary Committee has formally asked the DOJ to investigate the group, with Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) stating, “TPF appears to have received funding from Singham and the CCP while engaging in activities that directly advance the CCP’s political and policy interests.”
Jeong has organized lectures within TPF on topics including race, capitalism, social justice, and anti-imperialism, and has led events titled “Globalize the Intifada,” a reference to Palestinian uprisings against Israeli control. At rallies, he has been heard shouting “Long live the intifada.” Jeong immigrated to the United States at age 3, grew up in Woodside, New York, studied economics at Hunter College, part of the City University of New York, and began community organizing in 2012. He has described his mission as sharing his political and social beliefs with grassroots activists and working-class communities.
BY HANKIL KANG [kang.hankil@koreadaily.com]
