South Korea has announced sanctions against 15 individuals and one entity from North Korea involved in cybercrimes, including large-scale cryptocurrency heists.

The move comes amid rising concerns about North Korea’s use of cyber operations to fund its weapons programs and evade international sanctions.

South Korea Imposes Sanctions On North Korean Hackers And IT Operatives

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea particularly disclosed in a statement released on December 26 that the sanctioned individuals are linked to Bureau 313, an organization under the Workers’ Party of Korea’s Machine-Building Industry Department.

This bureau, which has been under United Nations Security Council sanctions since 2016, plays a significant role in overseeing North Korea’s weapons production, including its ballistic missile program.

According to the ministry, these operatives are often dispatched to countries such as China, Russia, Southeast Asia, and Africa, where they operate under disguised identities to secure employment in IT firms.

Many of these individuals infiltrate IT networks, manipulate company operations, and, in some cases, conduct cryptocurrency thefts. One such individual, Kim Cheol-min, reportedly infiltrated IT firms in the US and Canada, transferring large sums of foreign currency back to North Korea.

Additionally, one sanctioned entity is also known to send North Korean IT personnel overseas to secure illicit funds for Pyongyang’s regime and military operations.

CryptoTheft and Cyber Activities Intensify

Notably, the reasons behind the sanctions o

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Author: Samuel Edyme