North Korean IT engineers posing as Japanese nationals to approach Japanese companies

On the 26th of this month, Japan's National Police Agency and other organizations called on Japanese companies to be wary of suspicions that North Korean IT engineers pretending to be Japanese are accepting orders for IT-related work online. united nations
A panel of experts pointed out that North Korea's IT engineers falsely take on jobs in various countries, and the ill-gotten income is used to fund nuclear and missile development. The United States, South Korea, etc. have adopted guidelines.
This is the first time that Japan has called for caution. A document jointly released by the National Police Agency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on the 26th states that North Korean IT engineers
It has been pointed out that he is suspected of fraudulently receiving work orders from Japanese companies in fields such as software and game development through job posting websites, while residing in Japan, Russia, and Southeast Asia. Sekisui within Japan
The concerned business operators were alerted. If a company accepts a job knowing that funds will flow to North Korea, there is a risk that the company could violate foreign exchange laws and other laws.
The National Police Agency and other agencies are disseminating details of the techniques on their websites, and on the 26th, they are posting information on recruitment sites and company representatives.
A briefing session was held to request that countermeasures be taken. Characteristics of North Korean IT workers include: ▽Forging ID cards and pretending to be relatives or acquaintances in Japan; ▽Working remotely while living in China or Russia.
▽ The name under which the work is undertaken does not match the name on the account that receives the remuneration ▽ The work is undertaken at a lower remuneration than the general market rate ▽ Reluctance to have face-to-face meetings such as video conferences, etc.
It is said that there is. Cases involving North Korean IT workers have already been uncovered across the country, and according to a report in the Mainichi Shimbun, Osaka Prefectural Police, Kanagawa Prefectural Police, and other police forces busted three cases between February 2020 and March 2024.
Five men and women living in Japan who are believed to have ties to North Korean IT engineers have been arrested and documents have been submitted to prosecutors. The five people are of South Korean nationality and are suspected of illegally sending money to IT workers of North Korean nationality living in China.
However, two were not prosecuted because the charges were insufficient, and one was suspended. Prior to Japan, the United States and South Korea issued similar warnings in May and December two years ago, and in October last year. Also, Korea last year
, three organizations, an IT company affiliated with the Ministry of Defense of North Korea, an IT company affiliated with the Ministry of Munitions Industry of the Workers' Party of Korea, and an educational institution in the IT/cyber field, and individuals have been accused of being involved in foreign currency earning by North Korean IT engineers.
Seven people were designated as targets of independent sanctions. The educational institution in question is renowned for its arts education, and was once attended by Kim Jung Eun's wife Ri Sol-ju.
At the time of the designation of the elephant, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "By comprehensively sanctioning not only the organizations and personnel directly involved in foreign currency earnings, but also training institutions and collaborators, we hope to have the effect of restricting all activities.
The UN Security Council's Expert Panel on North Korea Sanctions has issued a report on North Korean IT engineers since 2019, stating that their income is related to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
According to a report released this month by a panel of experts, the Asahi Shimbun reported that only a small portion of the income earned by North Korean IT engineers remains in their accounts.
Only a small portion of the money is sent to the dispatch company, and the rest is received by the dispatch company, and much of it is used to purchase goods for North Korea. It is estimated that there are about 3,000 North Korean IT workers overseas and 1,000 in North Korea.
ing. Annual profits are said to be close to $600 million (approximately 90.8 billion yen). North Korea is also believed to be involved in malicious cyber activities. In January of this year, South Korea's National Intelligence Service
An analysis revealed that North Korea accounted for 80% of cyberattacks targeting South Korea's public sector in 2019. The National Intelligence Service blamed the cyberattack on Kim Jung Eun.
He pointed out that this was carried out under the direction of the general secretary. Furthermore, according to the aforementioned expert panel report, North Korea obtains approximately 50% of its foreign currency income from cyber attacks. Report more
The book pointed out that approximately 40% of the cost of developing weapons of mass destruction was obtained from cyber attacks.