Special envoys from the US, Japan, and South Korea have expressed concerns about North Korea's growing nuclear program and the role of its overseas workers, including IT specialists, in financing its weapons programs through the theft and laundering of funds, including cryptocurrencies. North Korea-linked hackers stole a record $1.7 billion in cryptocurrency last year alone, according to estimates from Chainalysis. Despite the UN Security Council Resolution 2397 mandating the repatriation of overseas North Korean workers, many continue to work abroad. North Korean hackers have been alleged to use cryptocurrencies to generate revenue for the country, with high-profile attacks attributed to North Korean hackers including the 2018 theft of $530 million worth of cryptocurrency from the Japanese crypto exchange Coincheck. The Lazarus Group, a hacking group believed to be sponsored by the North Korean government, is allegedly responsible for carrying out a number of high-profile cyber attacks against various targets, including banks, governments, and crypto exchanges.

(By Andrew Asmakov)