The US Treasury Department has announced new sanctions against North Korean nationals working in foreign countries who allegedly remitted their earnings to North Korean authorities.
According to the Treasury Department, Song Kum Hyok (Song), orchestrated a network of fraudulent North Korean technology workers in foreign countries.
Song, a malicious cyber actor working for the North Korean communist regime, would implant North Korean workers into companies across the world.
Such workers would reportedly covertly amass data and funds for the regime’s nefarious activities, including developing nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
The Treasury Department alleges North Korea has thousands of such covert workers spread across the world stealing data and funneling cash back to the regime.
The workers are allegedly instructed to “obfuscate their identities, locations, and nationalities, typically using false personas, proxy accounts, stolen identities, and falsified or forged documentation” to gain access to companies.
Sanctions restrict Song and related entities’ assets within the US’s jurisdiction.
“Today’s action underscores the importance of vigilance on the DPRK’s continued efforts to clandestinely fund its WMD and ballistic missile programs,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender.
The US has persistently opposed North Korea’s nuclear and ICBM programs and has sought to restrict their financing.
US-North Korea tensions flared while former President Joe Biden was in office.
Republicans often compared North Korea’s nuclear aggressions during President Biden’s tenure to President Donald Trump’s royal treatment by Kim Jung Un.
When Trump arrived in Korea during his first term, the North Korean leader greeted Trump himself and invited him to visit the country, making Trump the first American President to officially visit.
Now that Trump is back in office, he has expressed willingness to re-kindle friendly relations with North Korea.
“The president remains receptive to correspondence with Kim Jong Un,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
