[2018-03-03] North Korea Obtained 11,000 bitcoins in 2017, Expert Says

[BitcoinArsenal]

North Korea may have made over $200 million USD from cryptocurrency transactions last year, according to a former NSA official.
Full article on Bitcoin.com

[BitHodler]

I see it more as a dirt throwing battle between the various involved parties. All I see is assumptions not backed up by anything that even hints at the slightest form of truth. It's a continuation of the propaganda war, but now in crypto territory.

Who says that the NSA hasn't been responsible for various major hacks in the last years? They (system in its entirety) don't mind seizing, ahum, stealing funds to later on auction them off to nurse their endless money hunger.

Even if North Korea actually did what it is being accused of, nothing comes close to how much of a shady figure the NSA and everything related to the US in its entirety is. Nothing comes even close.

[European Central Bank]

so they've obtained these coins to circumvent the banking restrictions they're under. but they're stuck with something that's just as banking dependent as anything else. presumably they must have a huge amount of rat holes around the world to launder it through but it leaves them just as vulnerable to being shut down as anything else.

we're a long way away from bitcoin itself being a closed loop. they may as well stick to smuggling heroin and crystal meth in their diplomatic bags.

and is there any proof at all that they're mining? surely they have better things to do with their tiny amount of electricity.

[RamonBTC]

NSA is just a political tool and only fool would believe they’re clean. North Korean President may have a bad reputation in news or in reality and I don’t condone what they’re doing in that country but using cryptocurrency as a bad propaganda for a country that you hate is too much. They’re throwing stone in both bitcoin and North Korea, it is nothing to me but a good news for those who believe in it like the banking officials.

[Qartersa]

So what are they trying to say? I mean, leave them alone! The country has been making means to survive because of its national policy, how come people make such a headline about it? EVERYONE can make use of cryptocurrencies for it is NOT limited to a particular race, class or religion, for that matter. You know what the headline basically implies? It is telling us that Bitcoin is WIDELY and LARGELY used by people to proliferate their illegitimate causes. What they do not highlight is the fact that fiat currencies have long been used to further criminal activities for centuries that I actually lost count. Just because people are into Bitcoin does not mean they are already into something illegal. You have to draw the line. Surely in this write up, the message is to relate the negative connotation of North Korea to that of Bitcoin.

[buwaytress]

so they've obtained these coins to circumvent the banking restrictions they're under. but they're stuck with something that's just as banking dependent as anything else. presumably they must have a huge amount of rat holes around the world to launder it through but it leaves them just as vulnerable to being shut down as anything else.

we're a long way away from bitcoin itself being a closed loop. they may as well stick to smuggling heroin and crystal meth in their diplomatic bags.

and is there any proof at all that they're mining? surely they have better things to do with their tiny amount of electricity.

Slightly erroneous opening line in the article, saying from "transactions". The only evidence that would seem to have been gathered was from mid- to late last year, when the South Korean intelligence found that these North Korean hackers (Lazarus being the one fingered the most) had infiltrated exchange platforms. The fact that most of these were actually only discovered months after the intrusion probably means they're sitting on a lot more yet undiscovered. So the majority of coins gained would have been stolen rather than mined. Personally, I think these hacks - if truly political - are just a show of muscle... or testing their own capabilities.

Probably going to pigeonhole the coins themselves...

[chenbo*)]

How did they come up with the 11k figure? Seems like black propaganda to me, blaming everything to an entity that's not aligned to what the powers that be deemed as the true reality. You can see it from a mile off, bitcoin stockpiling is almost always linked to a shady entity by the people who can't come to grips with bitcoin's emergence. People wanting anonymity does not mean that they're doing something illegal.

[martychubbs]

Cheap county with alot of bitcoins Nice Now they have rockets and now bitcoin What next  ? They will buy all alts or make Global Atomic ICO get hard cap and bomp choosed country Lol koreas always very funny ppl with special view to world Hope they will get nice future with there bitcoin and atomic weapons

[laurenB7742]

NSA is just a political tool and only fool would believe they’re clean. North Korean President may have a bad reputation in news or in reality and I don’t condone what they’re doing in that country but using cryptocurrency as a bad propaganda for a country that you hate is too much. They’re throwing stone in both bitcoin and North Korea, it is nothing to me but a good news for those who believe in it like the banking officials.

Exactly! This western propaganda against North Korea makes me sick. Articles like this one are written just to tell people again and again how bad and evil is DPRK.
So there's high chance of being made up. On the other hand, if it's true that they have so capable hackers, this shows that DPRK is not such a backward country, western media is telling us all the time.