US, SKorea, Japan Concerned Over NKorea Cyber Activities

Facts

• The US, South Korea, and Japan expressed deep concern over North Korea's 'malicious' cyber activities to support its weapons programs, in comments published in a joint statement on Friday.¹
• The top South Korean, American, and Japanese nuclear envoys met in Seoul on Friday in their first gathering in four months. The focus was on how to deal with North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.²
• Last year the UN claimed that cryptocurrency funds stolen by North Korean hackers have been a key source of funding for the country’s weapons programs, with such theft reaching a record last year.³
• Crypto analytics firm Chainalysis estimates that North Korea-linked hackers stole $1.7B in cryptocurrency last year. The country’s hackers have long been alleged of using cryptocurrencies to generate revenue for Pyongyang.⁴
• Despite the UN Security Council Resolution 2397, which ordered the repatriation of overseas North Korean workers by all UN member states, many hackers continue to work internationally.⁴
• North Korea has faced 11 rounds of UN sanctions in addition to economic problems from the pandemic, yet the country continues to devote much of its remaining resources to its nuclear and missile programs.⁵

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²FOX News, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴Yahoo finance and ⁵Voa.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by United states department of state. North Korea is using illicit funds to fund its nuclear programs as it continues to launch ballistic missiles and escalate tensions. Pyongyang defies international order and all obligations as it violates the rules-based international system. The North must stop trying to evade sanctions and halt its nuclear development.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Kcna watch. North Korea has no choice but to increase its nuclear investments as it prepares to defend itself from the US and its puppet states. The US has come to the Korean peninsula armed with nuclear bombers and provoking the North. The US has no legs to stand on with its aggressive, hegemonic behavior.

Predictions