U.S. imposes additional sanctions on North Korea-linked hacking organization 'cryptocurrency'

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The US has announced additional sanctions against Lazarus, a hacking organization linked to North Korea.

Lazarus-owned cryptocurrency wallets are subject to sanctions.

Correspondent Kim Jong-won from New York.

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The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed additional sanctions on three additional cryptocurrency wallets believed to be owned by the 'Lazarus Group', a hacking organization linked to North Korea.

The US Treasury Department tweeted that North Korea is avoiding US and UN sanctions by relying on cybercrime to monetize it.

Lazarus, believed to be an organization affiliated with North Korea's General Bureau of Reconnaissance, became famous in 2014 by hacking Sony Pictures, which made a comedy film about Chairman Kim Jong-un.

The United States pointed to Lazarus, which is linked to North Korea, behind the incident in which a game company called Axi Infinite was hacked on the 14th and stolen about 800 billion won in virtual currency.

This was evaluated as the largest cryptocurrency hacking incident ever, and the United States pointed to the North Korean regime as the cause.

According to the UN Security Council's North Korea Sanctions Committee, North Korea also stole more than 60 billion won in virtual currency from cryptocurrency exchanges in North America, Europe, and Asia between 2020 and 2021.

The Washington Post pointed out that North Korean hackers are stealing cryptocurrencies rather than stealing secrets from other countries, and that these stolen assets are used for North Korea's nuclear development and other operations.