The Republic of Korea is imposing sanctions against 15 individuals and 1 organization linked to the DPRK’s IT sector, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea reported.
In his opinion, Pyongyang’s “illegal activities” in cyberspace “not only constitute crimes that threaten the security of the cyberspace ecosystem, but are also used as a means of financing missile and nuclear developments” and therefore “pose a threat to international peace and security.”
According to the South Korean side, North Korean IT specialists are sent to work abroad, including in China, Southeast Asian countries and Russia, where they “hide their identities” and accept orders from companies from all over the world. Some of them allegedly take part in cyberattacks.
In connection with this, the South Korean authorities have included “15 people from among the employees of IT companies and 1 organization” from the DPRK in the list of independent sanctions, which, according to their version, “obtained financial resources for nuclear and missile developments by earning currency abroad.”
The sanctions will come into effect on December 30. Currency and financial transactions with these individuals will require advance permission from the South Korean authorities.