{"id":13854,"date":"2025-07-09T06:30:56","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T04:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wsj-crypto.com\/?p=13854"},"modified":"2025-07-09T06:30:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T04:30:56","slug":"us-imposes-sanctions-on-north-korean-it-specialist-linked-to-cryptocurrency-fraud-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wsj-crypto.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/09\/us-imposes-sanctions-on-north-korean-it-specialist-linked-to-cryptocurrency-fraud-network\/","title":{"rendered":"US Imposes Sanctions on North Korean IT Specialist Linked to Cryptocurrency Fraud Network"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The US Treasury has penalized two individuals and four organizations purportedly connected to what it describes as a North Korea-operated IT worker network infiltrating cryptocurrency firms with the intent to exploit them.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, the Treasury\u2019s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced<\/a> that it had sanctioned Song Kum Hyok, based in North Korea, for allegedly acquiring US citizens\u2019 data to be utilized as false identities and providing it to contracted foreign IT professionals seeking jobs at US firms.<\/p>\n

Additionally, OFAC targeted Russian national Gayk Asatryan, accusing him of employing numerous North Korean IT professionals through long-term contracts with North Korean trading firms beginning in 2024.<\/p>\n

Source: <\/em>Treasury Department<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An increasing number of deceptive tech professionals with affiliations to North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People\u2019s Republic of Korea (DPRK), have been intensifying their infiltration efforts<\/a>, with a report from Google in April indicating that the infrastructure for these operations has proliferated globally.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Treasury remains dedicated to employing all available measures to thwart the Kim regime\u2019s attempts to bypass sanctions via digital asset theft, impersonation of Americans, and harmful cyberattacks,\u201d remarked Treasury Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender.<\/p>\n

Thousands of IT professionals target affluent nations to finance missile initiatives<\/h2>\n

OFAC stated that North Korea seeks to generate funds for its ballistic missile programs by deploying a workforce of thousands of highly skilled IT professionals globally, primarily situated in China and Russia.<\/p>\n

This workforce predominantly aims at employers in wealthier nations, utilizing a range of mainstream and sector-specific networking platforms, according to OFAC.<\/p>\n