World

North Korea steals $300 million USD in cryptocurrency for nuclear weapons – UN report

Published

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 14:08

Hackers in North Korea stole cryptocurrency worth more than $300 million USD to pay the government’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, according to a confidential report by United Nations experts monitoring sanctions on the country’s capital Pyongyang.

From 2019 to November 2020, North Korea stole around $316.4 million USD worth of “virtual assets,” according to AFP, which obtained a copy of the report. The so-called “hermit kingdom” has an army of thousands of “well trained” hackers who have done numerous cyberattacks on South Korean firms, institutions and researchers in the past, according to AFP.

Two hackers are linked to the recent cyber-heists. The UN panel says it had been investigating a cryptocurrency exchange hack from September 2020 where $281 million USD worth of cryptocurrency was stolen. A month later, $23 million USD was stolen in another cyberattack.

“Preliminary analysis, based on the attack vectors and subsequent efforts to launder the illicit proceeds strongly suggests links to the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.)”

SOURCE: AFP

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9 Comments

Jim kelly

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 9:59 pm

I THINK THIS GUY IS GREAT! He reminds me of the archetypal James Bond villain from the 1960’s/70’s. He’s just a big kid playing with a country…leave him alone.. he’s having more fun than the rest of the feckin’ world at the moment! The country must be amazing!! Totally un-spoilt by the interfering outside world.

Reply
- Eamon Guerrini
  
  Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 1:10 am
  
  Tell that to the thousands of innocent whole families including grand parents and children who have somehow displeased the little fat slime ball and who he has locked
  up and worked to death in slave labour camps to pay for he and his cronies lavish life style and his totally impractical nuclear weapons.
  
  Reply
- Roger
  
  Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 10:06 pm
  
  Why doncha go live there then ?
  
  Reply
Toby Andrews

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 10:09 pm

A pity he is not stroking a cat.
However this massive sum swindled is not great considering that the USA, has fighter jets worth a 150 millions each!

Reply
intlbankster

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 10:14 pm

I always though NK was just a proxy of USA.. Cant believe anything the media says at face value. Not to mention this is old news. What about musk putting Tesla money into BTC?

Reply
Jim kelly

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 10:21 pm

YOU’RE READING MY MIND TOBY! I was about to research how much 300m is in the USA Nuclear Purse… pocket money I imagine. And, yes, I’m sure Kim Jong has stroked many little pussies during his premiership!!!

Reply
Jim kelly

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 10:28 pm

Talking of ‘pussies’… some twat in Vietnam is claiming pets carry Covid 19 and should stick to social distancing measures!!! I imagine Rubber Johnnie of Issan is now placing his pooch under strict home quarantine rules and no pooing or peeing after 11pm!!!

Reply
Jim kelly

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 10:31 pm

apologies, SOUTH KOREA..not Vietnam.

Reply
Political Observer

Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 8:21 am

North Korea is S.P.E.C.T.R.E. and Kim Jong Un is Number One. We need a James Bond to take care of this menace.

Reply

Caitlin Ashworth

Caitlin Ashworth is a writer from the United States who has lived in Thailand since 2018. She graduated from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and media studies in 2016. She was a reporter for the Daily Hampshire Gazette In Massachusetts. She also interned at the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia and Sarasota Herald-Tribune in Florida.

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