The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has seized over $7.74 million in cryptocurrency allegedly laundered by North Korean IT workers posing as remote employees at U.S. and international companies. This operation, exposed through a civil forfeiture complaint filed in the District of Columbia, reveals how North Korea has been exploiting the crypto and AI boom to bypass U.S. sanctions and fund its weapons programs.
According to the DOJ, the operatives used stolen or fake IDs to bypass KYC checks and secure work under assumed identities. They often received their payments in U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoins. The laundering strategy involved sophisticated crypto techniques, mixing funds, converting between tokens, buying NFTs, and transferring assets in small amounts to avoid detection.
The operatives routed the funds through known intermediaries, including Sim Hyon Sop of the sanctioned Foreign Trade Bank and Kim Sang Man of Chinyong IT Cooperation Company.
OpenAI confirmed that several accounts linked to North Korean clusters were banned for using AI tools like ChatGPT to automate job applications, craft fake employment histories, and even research targets. Some operatives ran “laptop farms,” simulating normal work behavior from countries like Russia and Laos. Google had previously taken similar steps, removing North Korea-linked accounts.
Meanwhile, tech firms like Google and OpenAI have shut down multiple accounts linked to North Korean deception campaigns.
This seizure follows the DOJ’s broader DPRK RevGen initiative launched in March 2024, aimed at disrupting North Korea’s growing cyber-financial operations. “US Sanctions are in place for a reason,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “We will continue to investigate and prosecute anyone helping North Korea fund its illegal weapons programs.”
Despite a slower pace under the Trump administration, Thursday’s action signals the U.S. is far from easing up on North Korea’s crypto-powered sanctions evasion.
The Lazarus Group is a North Korean state-sponsored hacking unit. They’ve carried out major crypto thefts, including the $620 million Ronin Bridge hack in 2022, one of the largest in history.
Yes. The DOJ has seized millions in stolen and laundered cryptocurrency, including the recent $7.74 million from fake IT workers tied to North Korea.
They pose as remote developers or IT workers using fake or stolen identities. Once hired, they get paid in **cryptocurrency—mainly stablecoins—**which they later launder.
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