South Korea sanctions 15 North Koreans for IT worker scams, financial hacking schemes

South Korea sanctioned 15 North Korean nationals and the Chosun Geumjeong Economic Information Technology Exchange Corporation, alleging they are linked to the DPRK’s 313th General Bureau and run a global scheme dispatching IT personnel overseas to impersonate workers, steal cryptocurrency, and facilitate cyberattacks. The report cites UN findings of at least 58 DPRK cyberattacks against cryptocurrency firms (2017–2023) with estimated stolen proceeds around $3 billion and warns the activities fund North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.