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North Korean IT hackers. (Source: Social media) |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] North Korea stole nearly $2 billion worth of cryptocurrency last year, posing a growing security threat to the United States and its allies, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Jan. 12.
Jonathan Fritts, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, described North Korea’s illicit cyber activities as a top U.S. priority, citing the need to protect American citizens and businesses from serious national security threats. He made the remarks at a briefing in New York ahead of a presentation by the Multinational Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) to U.N. member states.
An MSMT report released in October found that North Korea stole about $1.65 billion in digital assets between January and September last year. Fritts said total annual theft likely exceeded $2 billion by year-end, adding that proceeds from cyber theft and overseas IT workers using stolen identities are being funneled into North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
“We cannot stand by while North Korea engages in sophisticated transnational criminal schemes to obtain U.S. dollars,” Fritts said.
He also reiterated that President Donald Trump remains open to dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but added that no active talks are underway. “The president has made his willingness to engage clear. The ball is in North Korea’s court,” he said.
Commenting on Pyongyang’s statement denouncing MSMT as illegal, Fritts said North Korea’s strong reaction was “a good sign,” noting that it did not dispute the substance of the report.
알파경제 Paul Lee 특파원(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
