U.S. Sanctions North Korean IT Worker Scheme Operators
The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed new sanctions on key figures and entities involved in North Korea's scheme to exploit IT workers and siphon money. The move comes a day after an international forum in Tokyo to address the issue.
The sanctions target Vitaliy Sergeyevich Andreyev, a Russian national, and Kim Ung Sun, who allegedly worked together to facilitate financial transfers worth nearly $600,000 since December 2024. Two companies, Shenyang Geumpungri Network Technology and Korea Sinjin Trading Corporation, were also sanctioned. The latter is housed within North Korea's Ministry of People's Armed Forces General Political Bureau and has received directives from DPRK government officials regarding the IT workers.
The sanctions are part of an ongoing effort to punish organizations in the network of Chinyong Information Technology Cooperation, which was sanctioned in 2023. Shenyang Geumpungri, a Chinese front company for Chinyong, has earned over $1 million in profits since 2021 and employs North Korean IT workers. The U.S. has issued new sanctions around these schemes twice last month.
North Korea uses stolen identity documents to get its citizens hired at Western companies, earning high-paying technology salaries and using their access for other money-making scams. An Arizona woman was sentenced to eight years in prison for running a laptop farm that enabled North Korean workers to connect remotely to companies' networks. However, there are no specific countries mentioned in the search results regarding the use of stolen identity documents by North Korean IT workers.
The sanctions are expected to disrupt North Korea's IT worker scheme and limit the flow of illicit funds. The international forum in Tokyo, convened by the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, signals a coordinated effort to address the issue holistically.
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