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Friedman Files Subject #01 Individual
Friedman Files — Dossier #01
David (Sung Mo) Chung
Organizing Director / General Manager — The People's Forum
Location
New York City, NY
Origin
South Korea
Organization
The People's Forum
Role
General Manager
Salary
~$75,000/yr
Education
CUNY Hunter College
Files 01–05
Employment
Current Role
General Manager, TPF
~2022–Present
Full-time senior operations role at TPF, a socialist nonprofit incubator based in Manhattan. Oversees programming, events, and organizational operations. Salary: approximately $75,000/year per IRS Form 990 disclosures.
Board Role
Board Member, JEF
~2022–Present
Serves on the board of the Justice and Education Fund. 2019 tax returns list principal officer as Sung Mo Chung. JEF received $50K from Tides Foundation (2022) and was flagged in the 2023 NYT investigation into Neville Roy Singham's funding network.
Leadership
Rise and Resist
~2018–Present
Active leadership at Rise and Resist, an anti-Trump and anti-Western protest group. Coordinates demonstrations and political actions within TPF's broader affiliated network.
Prior Work
Community Organizer/Educator
Immigrant Rights/DREAM Act · 2012–2022
Over a decade of organizing in immigrant rights coalitions and DREAM Act advocacy across New York City.
The People's Forum Justice & Education Fund Rise and Resist DREAM Act Coalitions
Files 06–10
Protest Activity
Oct 8, 2023
Times Square, NYC — All Out For Palestine Rally
Key participant in rally held one day after October 7 Hamas attacks. Chanted "One, two, three, four, occupation no more" and promoted BDS. Event organized via TPF and PSL.
Dec 2, 2023
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY — Al-Awda-NY / TPF Rally
Spoke at event co-organized by Al-Awda-NY and TPF. Demanded "end to the occupation and the apartheid regime." Rally included explicit calls for "global intifada."
Dec 16, 2023
Herald Square, NYC — "Shut It Down for Palestine" / March for the Martyrs
Led march protesting U.S. military support for Israel. Chanted "Intifada! Intifada! Long live the Intifada!" alongside Layan Fuleihan. Protesters blocked Manhattan traffic; demands included immediate arms embargo.
Jan 20, 2024
J. Hood Wright Park, NYC — Arrested — Disorderly Conduct
Arrested for disorderly conduct during Gaza war protest. Full video documents him organizing amid protest chants. Released same day.
April 2024
Columbia University, NYC — Columbia Encampment Support
Appeared in LLN NYC video. Not arrested but coordinated TPF logistical and ideological support for the campus occupation.
Also appears in multiple street demonstrations opposing ICE, NATO, and deportations — signage includes "ICE OUT OF NYC," "STOP NATO," and "ICE OUT OF HOME DEPOT." Documented at pro-Palestine demonstrations with "Free Palestine" and "End The Occupation Now" signs.
Protest Profile
Professional organizer with documented on-the-ground leadership. Promotes "intifada" chants, BDS, and disruptive tactics (traffic blocking, campus encampments). Nonviolent but escalatory. Photographed wearing Assata Shakur shirt at rallies.
Core Mission
Orchestrate socialist activism via TPF and JEF. Incubate protests linking U.S. domestic issues (Palestine, Cuba, NATO) to global anti-imperialism. Leverage $20M+ in funding for "political education" classes and events while advancing BDS and anti-U.S. foreign policy agendas.
File 11
Cuba Activism
Advocacy
U.S. Blockade Opposition
Public Advocacy
Actively promotes lifting U.S. economic blockade on Cuba through TPF events. Participated in TPF's "Let Cuba Live" humanitarian aid drive (2023–2024).
Documented
With Rep. Rashida Tlaib
Mar 20, 2023
Appeared alongside Rep. Rashida Tlaib in promotional materials for TPF/IFCO event. Photographed holding "Lift the Blockade on Cuba" sign.
Travel
Cuba Travel
Airport Tarmac Documentation
Appears in group photos departing for and arriving in Cuba. Photographed on airport tarmac holding "Viva Cuba!" and "Hands Off Cuba" signs. Wears Assata Shakur shirt — convicted cop-killer who fled to Cuba in 1984.
Campaign
"Let Cuba Live" Drive
Campaign
As General Manager, oversaw TPF's "Let Cuba Live" humanitarian fundraising initiative. Campaign framed U.S. sanctions as direct cause of Cuban poverty.
File 12
School of Socialism
6-Week Program · July–August 2024 · Free / Pay-what-you-can
Supervised by Chung as General Manager
Speakers included Thejas Wesley (MIT Engineer, Marxism), Brian Becker (PSL Leader, Imperialism), and Kazu (Blonderedhead artist, cultural resistance). Featured "revolutionary printmaking" workshops and courses openly praising communist governance — including "Lenin and the Path to Revolution," presenting Cuba and China as models for "smashing the shackles of Western imperialism." Delivered at TPF's Manhattan location under Chung's operational oversight.
Files 11–18
Funding Network
$20M+
Singham Donations (2017–2022)
$15M
TPF Revenue (FY 2019)
$17.4M
TPF Net Assets (FY 2019)
$7.08M
TPF Revenue (2024)
Source
Neville Roy Singham
CCP-linked billionaire · Sold IT firm for $785M · Resides in Shanghai, China · Subject of 2023 NYT investigation
$2.5M (2017) · $4.4M (2018) · $12M (2019)
Intermediary
Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund
Donor-advised fund used to route Singham contributions
Destination
The People's Forum
NYC 501(c)(3) · Net Assets ~$17.4M (FY 2019) · Employs Chung as General Manager
George Soros → Tides Foundation $3,750,000+ to TPF via Tides Foundation & Tides Center
Alliance for Global Justice $26,894 · Fiscal sponsor / network partner
Key Finding
Singham is married to Jodie Evans of Code Pink. Subject of major NYT investigation tracking hundreds of millions through nonprofits — several with UPS store mailboxes as addresses. Chung simultaneously held senior roles inside Singham's Justice and Education Fund.
Network Partner
Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ)
Fiscal sponsor supporting 140+ left-wing orgs, charging 7–8% commission. Originated from the Nicaragua Network. Received $250K from Open Society Foundation (2020). Maintains documented alignment with Venezuela (Maduro), Nicaragua (Ortega), and Cuba.
Chung Board Role
Justice and Education Fund (JEF)
Chung on board. JEF received $50K from Tides Foundation (2022). Flagged in 2023 NYT investigation. 2019 tax returns list principal officer as Sung Mo Chung. Part of Singham funding network under congressional FARA scrutiny.
Suspicious Funding Ties
Despite TPF's "nonprofit" status, Chung's $75K salary and events are bankrolled by Neville Roy Singham (~$20M via Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund, AFGJ donations). JEF (Chung on board) received $50K from Tides (2022). Raises red flags for foreign influence given Singham's CCP connections per NYT and Washington Examiner. Pattern fits paid agitator coordinating protests for geopolitical agendas. IRS filings show TPF revenue ~$2.5M (2022), mostly grants.
File 17
Salary & Compensation
$65,588
Reportable Compensation (Form 990, 2022)
$0
From Related Organizations
$10,019
Other Compensation
35 hrs
Average Hours Per Week
Name Title Hrs/Wk Reportable Related Org Other
David Sung Mo Chung General Manager 35 $65,588 $0 $10,019

Source: IRS Form 990 — The People's Forum, FY 2022

File 18
Contact & Social
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