North Korean hacker training institute – command – enforcement agency sanctioned
South Korea and the U.S. simultaneously aiming at funding for North Korean nuclear development
On the 23rd, South Korea and the United States imposed sanctions on North Korea’s cyber warfare unit, which has been engaged in cyber hacking to finance North Korea’s nuclear and missile development. It is an analysis that it aimed at the entire illegal hacking system of North Korea, which is becoming increasingly sophisticated, including Mirim University, which has been training North Korean hackers.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a press release that day that it sanctioned four institutions and one individual, including the North Korean Technology Reconnaissance Bureau, 110 Research Center, Command Automation University (Mirim University), and Jinyong Information Technology Cooperation Company. The Technical Reconnaissance Bureau is an agency under the Reconnaissance General Bureau, a North Korean military intelligence agency, and is in charge of cyber terrorism and operates North Korea’s representative hacking organization, Lazarus.
The 110 Research Center under the General Technology Administration is an organization dedicated to cyber attacks, and is leading the collection of cyber information, information warfare, and theft of virtual currency against South Korea and the United States. The Ministry of Finance said, “The 110 Lab carried out Operation ‘Dark Seoul’ in 2013, which hacked South Korean financial institutions and media outlets, and stole sensitive information about military defense and response plans from the South Korean government.”
Command Automation University, which the US Treasury Department sanctioned that day, is the successor to Mirim University, which was established in 1986, and is regarded as a training center for North Korean hackers. The Ministry of Finance said, “Many graduates from the Command Automation College are working in cyber units under the North Korean Reconnaissance General Administration.”
In addition, Jinyoung Information Technology Cooperation Company, which illegally sent North Korean IT workers to Russia and Laos under the guise of an information and communication (IT) company, and Kim Sang-man (65), the representative of the company’s Russian office, were also subject to sanctions. Kim Sang-man was involved in illegal virtual currency transactions in North Korea, including receiving $2 million in virtual currency transfers from North Korean IT teams dispatched to China and Russia, and was involved in transporting foreign IT equipment to North Korea, the Ministry of Finance said.
The sanctions this time target North Korea’s hacking organization’s headquarters, hacking agencies and training centers at the same time. On that day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also imposed its own sanctions on three North Korean organizations and seven individuals, including Jinyoung Information Technology Cooperation and Kim Sang-man.
“The United States and its partners will continue to work to combat North Korea’s attempts to extort funds from financial institutions and virtual currency exchanges around the world,” said Brian Nelson, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.