US State Department Offers Up to 6.1 Billion KRW Reward for Tips on North Korea's Illegal Cyber Activities

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The U.S. Department of State announced that it will offer rewards of up to $5 million (approximately 6.1 billion KRW) for information on North Korea’s illegal cyber financial activities.

The State Department’s Terrorist Rewards Program, "Rewards for Justice," posted on Twitter on the 15th (local time), urging people to "report malicious activities by IT operatives generating funds for North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs."

The U.S. Department of State encouraged tips by stating, "IT operations, cyber intrusions, denial-of-service attacks, cryptocurrency theft, and data breaches controlled or directed by North Korea violate U.S. law."

It added, "We are working with other agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to counter North Korea’s malicious cyber activities. If you have information about North Korean malicious cyber actors like Lazarus or other North Korean hacking groups, you may be eligible for a reward."

This post was translated and published on Facebook in nine languages, including Korean, Chinese, and Spanish.

Earlier, the FBI announced that the North Korea-linked hacking group Lazarus stole over $600 million (approximately 720 billion KRW) in cryptocurrency from the blockchain video game Axie Infinity at the end of last month.

In connection with this, the U.S. Department of the Treasury added wallet addresses linked to the cryptocurrency Ethereum associated with Lazarus to its sanctions list. Lazarus is believed to be connected to North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau and is currently on the sanctions lists of both the U.S. and the United Nations.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the U.S. Department of the Treasury spokesperson told Voice of America (VOA) in response to questions about Lazarus’s recent crime, "The United States is aware that North Korea is increasingly relying on illegal activities, including cybercrime, to evade strong U.S. and U.N. sanctions and generate revenue for its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs."

They added, "Secondary sanctions will be imposed on those involved in money laundering supporting North Korea, counterfeiting goods or currency, smuggling large amounts of cash, or drug trafficking. The government will work to dismantle entities facilitating the movement of stolen cryptocurrency, so we urge the cryptocurrency industry to 'lock the digital door.'"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.