US, South Korea, Japan Express Concern Over North Korea’s Cyber Activities, Call to Ban Pyongyang Workers

North Korea's cyber activities spark deep concern
South Korea, the United States, and Japan call to restrict North Korea's cybercrimes
The countries urged to ban North Korean workers abroad

In a joint statement released on Friday, the United States, South Korea, and Japan conveyed grave concern over North Korea's "malicious" cyber activities to support its weapons programs.

Cryptocurrency funds seized by North Korean hackers have been a major source of funding for the sanctions-plagued nation's weapons programs, according to US and allied officials and experts.

US, South Korea, Japan Urge to Ban North Korean Workers

The US Treasury Department published a report on April 6 stating that actors such as North Korea were using decentralized finance (DeFi), a thriving segment of the cryptocurrency industry, to transmit and launder illicit funds.

The North Korean government has denied accusations of hacking and other cyberattacks, Reuters reported. In light of North Korea's escalating nuclear and missile threats, South Korea's nuclear envoy met with his US and Japanese counterparts this week in Seoul and condemned the country's weapons tests.

According to Fox News, South Korea, the United States, and Japan have called for increased international support of efforts to restrict North Korea's cybercrimes and prohibit it from sending laborers abroad to prevent the country from funding its nuclear program.

The senior nuclear envoys from South Korea, the United States, and Japan met in Seoul on Friday for the first time in four months to discuss dealing with North Korea's expanding nuclear arsenal.

Recent North Korean weapons tests indicate that, rather than returning to negotiations, it intends to acquire more advanced missiles designed to attack the United States and its allies. Despite 11 rounds of UN sanctions and pandemic-related hardships that have exacerbated the country's economic and hunger issues, North Korea continues to devote most of its meager resources to its nuclear and missile programs.

Experts believe North Korea's crypto hacking and other illicit cyber activities, as well as the wages sent by North Korean laborers remaining in China, Russia, and elsewhere despite a previous UN order to repatriate them by the end of 2019, contribute to the financing of its weapons program.

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North Korea Cyber Activities Fund Nuclear Programs

Per VOA News, how many North Koreans continue to labor abroad is still being determined. Before the 2019 UN deadline, the US State Department estimated that approximately 100,000 North Koreans were employed in factories, construction sites, forestry industries, and other sectors around the globe.

According to civilian experts, these laborers generate between $200 and $500 million annually for North Korea. According to US envoy Sung Kim, North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, as well as its "malicious cyber program that targets countries and individuals worldwide," imperil the security and prosperity of the entire international community.

In December, South Korea's intelligence agency reported that North Korean hackers had stolen an estimated $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency and other virtual assets over the past five years, with more than half of that amount occurring in the past year.

According to the National Intelligence Service, North Korea's ability to pilfer digital assets is among the finest in the world because it has prioritized cybercrime since the United Nations tightened economic sanctions in 2017 in response to its earlier nuclear and missile tests.

Friday's trilateral meeting is likely to aggravate North Korea, which has previously cautioned that the three nations' efforts to strengthen their security cooperation necessitated an immediate increase in its military strength.

Long argued that UN sanctions and US-led military exercises in the region are evidence of Washington's hostility towards Pyongyang. The North claims it was forced to develop nuclear weapons in response to US military threats. However, US and South Korean officials insist they have no plans to invade the North.