South Korea sanctions 15 North Korean IT workers
Last Updated on December 30, 2024 6:14 am
South Korea has imposed sanctions on 15 North Korean citizens and an organization on charges including cryptocurrency theft, hacking and cyber attacks under the guise of jobs in the IT sector abroad. Seoul alleges that they are doing these activities to finance North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
A press release from South Korea’s Peninsula Policy Bureau on Thursday said that these individuals, hiding their identities, have taken jobs as employees in government-related organizations such as defense ministries in several countries in China, Russia, Southeast Asia and Africa. In addition, they have committed incidents such as data theft, money laundering and even cyber attacks while taking jobs at technology companies around the world.
South Korean officials say the accused work under North Korea’s Bureau 313. It oversees Pyongyang’s weapons production, research and development and missile programs. However, the company is accused of espionage, global cyber attacks, cryptocurrency theft and hacking other digital assets.
The company under sanctions is Chosun Geumjyeong Economic Information Technology Exchange Corporation. The company provides workers in the IT sector abroad. It also provides huge funds to the North Korean government’s military fund, the press release said.
Seoul says that in recent years, there has been a huge increase in North Korean citizens taking jobs in Western companies under the guise of IT workers. They are sending revenue to their country through fraud. This has become a cause for concern for US and Western security officials. Many company executives have also publicly reported their experiences of being deceived.
South Korea alleges that North Korean citizens are not only interested in working in foreign Western companies, but also in taking jobs in the technology sector of the companies. While working for technology companies, it becomes easier for them to commit cyber hacking and steal cryptocurrency.
Seoul claims that these workers have stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars by installing malicious software on companies’ devices. Companies do not want to talk about these frauds publicly for fear of negative repercussions from hiring fraudulent employees.
South Korea also alleges that North Korea is playing a major role in global cryptocurrency theft. A United Nations report this year said that it investigated 58 cyber attacks between 2017 and 2023, in which information was found about the theft of money from North Korean cryptocurrency companies. The report revealed that an estimated $ 3 billion was stolen. The UN panel said that many North Koreans are working abroad, who earn money by violating sanctions in various sectors, including IT, restaurants and construction. The income data of such workers has also been investigated.