US Treasury imposes sanctions against four North Korean organizations

United States Department of the Treasury announced the imposition of sanctions against four organizations and one citizen of the DPRK, which are accused of illegal cyber activities.

According to a statement posted on the ministry’s website, the DPRK “conducts malicious cyber activities” and also uses information technology workers who fraudulently obtain jobs and send funds to support the Kim Jong-un regime and “its priorities, such as illegal weapons of mass destruction programs and ballistic missiles”.

The sanctions apply to:

• Pyongyang Automation University. The Ministry of Finance believes that he is responsible for training “intruders in cyberspace”, many of whom continue to work in cyber units subordinate to North Korea’s General Intelligence Bureau;
• The Bureau of Technical Intelligence and the 110th Research Center subordinate to it. According to the Ministry of Finance, both organizations lead the development of the DPRK “offensive cyber tactics and tools, and also manage several units, including those associated with the Lazarus group”;
• Chinyong Information Technology Cooperation (also known as Jinryong IT Cooperation Company);
• North Korean citizen Kim Sang-man, who, according to the US, lives in Vladivostok. According to the agency, he is “involved in the payment of wages to family members of North Korean overseas workers at Chinyong.”

“The United States and our partners remain committed to combating the DPRK’s illegal revenue-generating activities and ongoing efforts to steal money from financial institutions, virtual currency exchanges, companies and individuals around the world,” said Deputy Treasury Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. Brian Nelson.

In turn, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken noted that Washington is taking steps in coordination with South Korea.

The inclusion on the sanctions list means freezing assets in the United States and prohibiting American citizens or companies from doing business with its defendants, who are also prohibited from entering the country.