Special envoys for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) from the United States, Japan, and South Korea have expressed grave concerns about the country’s growing nuclear program. The envoys noted that North Korea’s overseas workers, including IT specialists engaged in “malicious cyber activities,” are a major factor in the regime’s ability to finance its weapons programs through the theft and laundering of funds, including cryptocurrencies, per an AFP report. Citing estimates from crypto analytics firm Chainalysis, North Korea-linked hackers stole a record of $1.7 billion in cryptocurrency last year alone. Diplomats said on Friday that they are “deeply concerned about how the DPRK supports these programs by stealing and laundering funds as well as gathering information through malicious cyber activities.” Despite the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2397, which mandated the repatriation of overseas North Korean workers by all UN member states, many of these individuals continue to work abroad. “Overseas DPRK IT workers continue using forged identities and nationalities to evade UNSC sanctions and earn income abroad that funds the DPRK’s unlawful weapon of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs,” the envoys said in a joint statement Friday.
Full report : North Korea’s ‘Malicious Cyber Activities’ Deeply Concerning, Say US, Japan, South Korea.
