United States of Americaallegedly involved in the laundering of cryptocurrencies stolen on behalf of Pyongyang North Koreanaccused a bank official.
US Department of JusticeIn a statement on April 24, the representative of the North Korean Foreign Trade Bank, Sim Hyon Sop He said he was suspected of conspiring with crypto investors to use the stolen funds. The ministry noted that the 39-year-old Sim collaborated with North Korean IT workers to generate income through illegal employment at blockchain firms in the US.
Sanctions Will Be Applied to Criminals
Deputy Attorney General commenting on the subject Kenneth A Polite Jr.“The charges announced today are in response to attempts by North Korean operators to evade sanctions by using the technological features of virtual assets to facilitate payments and profits, and by targeting virtual asset companies for theft.”
Polite Jr. Continuing his speech, he said: “We will continue to work to prevent and deter North Korean actors and those who help them by tracking money on the blockchain and shedding light on their behavior.”
Mentioned as accomplice in money laundering operation in court documents Chinesecitizen Wu Huihui He was also accused of conducting unlicensed money transfer business. Neither person is expected to appear in court in the near future, as China and North Korea generally do not extradite criminal suspects to the United States.
US Department of the Treasuryalso Sim, Wu and Hong Kongpassport holder Cheng Hung Manthrough illegal financing and malicious cyber activities. PyongyangHe announced that he will impose sanctions on the grounds that they support .
Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E Nelson He also commented on the subject. “North Korea’s use of illegal facilitation networks to access the international financial system and the regime’s revenue generation using virtual currency for its illegal weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs pose a direct threat to international security,” Nelson said.
Sanction watchers said Pyongyang had committed numerous cyber thefts to finance its nuclear and missile programs.
last month UN Security CouncilAccording to the annual report submitted to North Korea in 2022 630 millionto 1 billion dollarsworth of virtual assets stolen.
