North Korea’s national flag (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea said Thursday it will impose independent sanctions on 15 North Korean IT workers and one entity over their roles in the illicit cyber activities to fund the country’s nuclear and missile development.
Fourteen of the 15 individuals, including Pak Hung-ryong, Yun Jong-sik and Ri Il-jin, are suspected of working overseas to earn foreign currencies through illegal cyber activities, such as crypto theft, to fund North Korea’s nuclear and missile development banned under multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, Seoul’s foreign ministry said.
All of them belong to the General Bureau 313 of the North’s Munitions Industry Department, in charge of weapons production and related research and development. The department is also subject to the U.N. sanctions.
The General Bureau 313 is alleged to be involved in the dispatch of North Korean IT experts to other countries to fund the weapons programs and develop military software.
South Korea will also add the Chosun Kum Jong Economics Information Technology Exchange Co. to its sanctions list, the ministry said.
The entity is suspected of engaging in the dispatch of IT workers overseas and funneling the money that they have earned to the North Korean regime.
Sin Jong-ho, an employee of the company, is also allegedly involved in the earning of hard currency.
The sanctions will take effect Monday.
(Yonhap)
