“The U.S. wants him publicly with a bounty of 6.7 billion won.”

“60 people created fake identities and got 300 jobs”

“North Korea scams IT employment to raise nuclear funds”

North Korea is strengthening foreign currency earning through IT employment for North Korean youth to finance the development of nuclear weapons. North Korean youth have technical skills, so they access IT freelance sites, obtain software development orders, and earn dollars or virtual currency. Illegal activities such as stealing virtual currency and developing gambling sites are also being committed.Recently, a group of people creating a gambling site developed by North Korean IT personnel was caught by South Korean judicial authorities.

The United States also caught North Korean ‘foreign currency earning’ information technology (IT) workers who earned more than $6.8 million by working undercover at a U.S. company and began a public search with a bounty of up to $5 million.

According to the U.S. State Department, people named Han Ji-ho, Jin Tian-ji, and Xu Haoran created fake American identities for about 60 people and illegally worked at around 300 local companies. Ji-ho Han and others are said to have attempted to obtain false employment at least three times, not only at general companies but also at two U.S. government agencies, but failed.

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The three people disguised themselves as software and app developers living in the U.S. and working from home to the U.S. company. However, the U.S. State Department understands that they are actually ‘skilled IT workers’ associated with North Korea’s Ministry of Military Industry, which oversees ballistic missile development.

For the first time in the world, the South Korean and U.S. governments imposed sanctions on two organizations and four individuals who were involved in North Korean IT personnel's overseas foreign currency earning or raised illegal funds. As North Korea's illegal cyber activities are a major source of funds for nuclear and missile development, South Korea and the United States are working closely together to block them.

If North Korean youth lived in a country where freedom is guaranteed, such as South Korea or the United States, they would be able to pursue their dreams to the fullest and earn as much money as they work. However, as part of the North Korean Kim Jong-un regime, they have to work hard and repay most of their income to the North Korean authorities for development of nuclear weapons. It's a really sad situation. North Korean youth earnestly hope to escape to countries where freedom and human rights are guaranteed, such as South Korea, Europe, or the United States, where they can live freely.