North Korean cyber-attacks have stolen millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency to fund the country's missile programmes, according to a UN report briefed to media. Between 2020 and mid-2021, attackers stole more than $50 million (£37 million) in digital assets, investigators found.
The report, handed to the UN's sanctions committee on Friday, described such attacks as an 'important revenue source' for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programme. The cyber-attacks targeted at least three cryptocurrency exchanges in North America, Europe and Asia.
A study by security firm Chainalysis suggested North Korean cyber-attacks could have netted as much as $400 million worth of digital assets last year. In 2019, the UN reported that North Korea had accumulated an estimated $2 billion for its weapons of mass destruction programmes through sophisticated cyber-attacks.
Despite crippling UN sanctions, North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile infrastructure, seeking material, technology and knowhow overseas through cyber means and joint scientific research. The sanctions monitors noted a 'marked acceleration' of missile testing, with the US reporting nine missile tests in January alone.
China and Russia refused to sign a statement condemning North Korea's missile launches on Friday. The US announced that its special representative for North Korea would meet with Japanese and South Korean officials later this week.
The report also highlighted a worsening humanitarian situation in North Korea, likely due to border closures during the pandemic. A lack of information made it difficult to assess the impact of international sanctions.
