South Korea, the United States and nine other countries on Friday issued a joint alert about North Korean IT workers. In this 2016 photo, the North Korean flag flies over its embassy in Beijing. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
South Korea, the United States, Japan and eight other countries on Friday issued a joint alert about North Korean information technology (IT) workers accused of generating revenue to help fund Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction programs.
The relevant authorities of the 11 countries released the alert, urging all countries, companies and other entities to deepen their understanding of North Korean IT worker schemes, implement measures to deal with them and strengthen countermeasures, such as enhancing identity verification procedures.
"North Korea relies upon a network of skilled Information Technology workers, deployed within and outside of North Korea, to obtain false identities and remotely earn income to fund North Korea's unlawful nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs," they said in the alert released by the U.S. State Department.
They pointed out that North Korean IT workers impersonate nationals of other countries to obtain work and income through online platforms operated by private companies for employment, procurement and contracting of services.
