US: North Korean IT Workers Earn $9 Billion by Illegally Working at Major US Companies... Funding North Korea's Nuclear Weapons

60 Americans Committed Identity Theft, Employed at 300 Companies
American Accomplice Assisted with Identity and Money Laundering
"Linked to the Ministry of Defense Industry Developing Ballistic Missiles"

It has been revealed that North Korean IT personnel disguised themselves as employees of American companies, earning millions of dollars and supporting funding for North Korea's nuclear weapons development, according to Bloomberg News and others on the 16th (local time).

According to the report, three North Korean IT workers stole American identities and signed remote work contracts with more than 300 American companies, generating over $6.8 million (approximately 9 billion KRW) in revenue. The U.S. State Department stated, "They used aliases such as Han Ji-ho, Jin Cheon-ji, and Xu Haoran, and are connected to North Korea's Military Industry Department, which oversees research and development of weapons like ballistic missiles."

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Their accomplice was revealed to be an American named Christina Chapman residing in Arizona. From October 2020 for three years, Chapman helped the three North Korean IT workers pose as remote software and app developers, enabling them to secure work from local companies in various fields. She was also responsible for obtaining and stealing more than 60 American identities.

Chapman also operated a so-called "laptop farm" at her home. The U.S. Department of Justice explained, "Chapman mobilized over 90 computers to help the North Korean workers remotely access company networks by pretending they were in the United States." Furthermore, Chapman played a money laundering role by receiving and distributing salaries paid by American companies to the North Korean IT workers.

Currently, Chapman and four other foreigners who assisted the disguised employment of North Korean workers have been indicted on fraud charges. Among the four foreigners, one is Oleksandr Didenko, a Ukrainian national who was arrested in Poland on the 7th. A reward of up to $5 million has been offered for the three North Korean IT workers. The U.S. State Department announced that it has activated the "Reward for Justice" program, a terrorism information tip reward program, to locate the suspects.

Nicole Argentieri, Deputy Attorney General, stated, "These crimes benefit the North Korean government by providing revenue sources as well as proprietary information stolen by accomplices," adding, "this case should serve as a warning signal to American companies and government agencies hiring remote IT staff."

Meanwhile, among the American companies where the North Korean IT workers were disguised as employees, some were listed among the Fortune 500, causing shock. Although real names were not disclosed, ABC reported that the indictment included companies ranked in the top five nationwide such as a TV network, an aerospace and defense manufacturer, a Silicon Valley IT company, an iconic American automobile manufacturer, and one of the world's best-known media and entertainment companies.

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