North Korea is spreading its manpower in the tech industry but doing it in what looks like a threatening manner.
The FBI reported that North Korea is sending thousands of skilled IT workers worldwide to pose as citizens of other countries to obtain jobs. The main goal of this operation is to make money for North Korea's program and perhaps to help build nuclear weapons.
North Korea's IT Workers
According to the U.S. authorities, these individuals seeking employment could pose as IT workers based in China, Japan, South Korea, Eastern Europe, or the United States of America and look for freelance work in countries with a higher standard of living.
In an advisory, the US Departments of State and Treasury and the FBI stated that many of these individuals are employed in China and Russia, with a smaller number working in Africa and Southeast Asia.
However, they may be now looking for work in other parts of the world, including North America, Europe, East Asia, and other regions.
As reported by Euronews, Ned Price, U.S. State Department spokesman, stated that the U.S. is dedicated to halting the illegal revenue-generating operations of North Korea. Price added, "which may facilitate criminal activity, provide direct support to the DPRK's unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, and threaten international peace and security."
According to the advisory, a significant number of these IT workers also use virtual private networks (VPNs) to conceal their identities when interacting with their employers, frequently perform their jobs from a remote location, and favor communicating with one another via text messaging rather than video calls.
Also, it was said that they often used fake driver's licenses, passports, and other forms of identification.
Kim Jong Un's Scheme for IT Workers
As reported by Business Insider, these IT workers obtain freelance employment contracts from clients located all over the world by capitalizing on the current demands for specific IT skills such as software and mobile application development.
The other kinds of work that are being looked for could be in fields like mobile gaming, graphic animation, dating app development, and building platforms for cryptocurrency.
The regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un keeps a close eye on some of these workers, putting them in situations where they are subjected to human trafficking, forced labor, and excessive work hours.
Furthermore, it has also been revealed that the government of North Korea withholds up to 90% of the wages of its citizens who are working outside of the country. This practice brings in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for the government each year.
The majority of the money that the workers earn goes directly to the government of North Korea, and according to state agencies in the United States, a large portion of the revenue is used for the development of weapons in that country.
The agencies in the United States highlighted several warning signs that employers can look out for, such as when a job applicant requests that their salary be paid in a virtual currency, when they refuse to participate in video calls, or when they say they can't receive work items like a laptop at the address they listed in their application. These are all red flags that employers should watch out for.
Lastly, as stated in the advisory, "The FBI encourages US companies to report suspicious activities, including any suspected [North Korean] IT worker activities, to local field offices."
