North Korea's undercover tech workers fund missiles: Seoul

Thousands sent abroad with fake identities to earn 'hundreds of millions of dollars'

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's regime gains access to foreign currency by employing hackers and undercover tech workers, South Korea's government says. (KCNA via Reuters)

JUNNOSUKE KOBARA, Nikkei staff writer

December 9, 2022 04:20 JST

SEOUL -- North Koreans are working in overseas tech jobs under fake identities to earn money for the regime's missile and nuclear weapons program, Seoul warned Thursday.

These North Korean workers secure jobs through online staffing platforms and together generate hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign currency every year for Pyongyang, according to a South Korean government advisory to companies.