Pyongyang was installing North Koreans in US companies

The United States has offered a $5 million reward for information related to an alleged scheme in which North Korean specialists were hired by unsuspecting US companies, then stole their trade secrets for ransom, and the money was used to fund Pyongyang's weapons programs, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.

The US State Department reported 130 North Korean specialists in the field of information technology who were hired by US companies and non-profit organizations in the period 2017-2023 and provided at least $88 million to Pyongyang for the development of weapons of mass destruction.

Washington is seeking information about two sanctioned North Korean companies – China-based Yanbian Silverstar and Russia-based Volasys Silverstar, which are linked to the placement of North Korean specialists at U.S. companies.

Separately, the U.S. Department of Justice yesterday charged 14 North Koreans with participating in operations for the two sanctioned companies as part of the scheme.

Working from China or Russia, these specialists stole sensitive company information, including computer code, and threatened to release it online if the employer did not pay.

The 14 North Koreans are charged with online fraud, money laundering and identity theft, among other crimes.

“To support its brutal regime, the North Korean government directs IT specialists to fraudulently obtain jobs, steal sensitive information from U.S. companies, and siphon ransom money to the DPRK,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement.

The men and their unnamed accomplices used stolen identities of hundreds of Americans to get hired in the scheme, the U.S. government said.

People in the United States aided the scheme by buying laptops or receiving laptops from U.S. employers for the scammers to work for. The Justice Department has prepared indictments for Americans accused of running so-called “laptop farms.”

A North Korean IT defector told Reuters in November 2023 that he would try to get hired and then create additional fake social media accounts to secure more jobs.