South Korea asks cyber firms for advice on North's crypto crimes

Pyongyang known for flashing sharp computer skills to boost weapons program

20230712 Cyber Security NK

The U.N. and others say stealing cryptocurrencies is North Korea's latest international criminal enterprise to support the hermit regime and facilitate its arms programs.  (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 

KIM JAEWON, Nikkei staff writer

SEOUL -- A senior South Korean official recently had an encounter outside the usual Washington, D.C. diplomatic circuit: a meeting with U.S. cybersecurity company Mandiant.

Kim Gunn, the Seoul-based special representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs -- Seoul's point man on North Korea -- held talks with the Virginia-based company in Washington last month to discuss how to block North Korean hackers from stealing cryptocurrency from individuals and corporations. Back home, Kim also met executives from Chainalysis, another American cybersecurity provider, to exchange ideas on North Korea's new tactics for stealing the volatile asset. 

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