Hi, I just saw this news about South Korea, their government have imposed sanctions on 15 North Koreans and one organization for their involvement in cryptocurrency and cyber-theft activities aimed at financing North Korea’s nuclear program. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the sanctions on December 26, targeting agents involved in obtaining foreign currency for North Korea’s Munitions Industry Department and nuclear missile programs. The Lazarus Group, among other North Korean hackers, has been particularly involved in large-scale computer theft in the Web3 space. Governments are stepping up efforts to combat these hackers, who are expected to target more than 50% of the world’s virtual currencies by 2024. The sanctions are aimed at combating money laundering and financing North Korea’s nuclear program. North Korean hackers are responsible for a significant portion of the $2.3 billion in cryptocurrency stolen in 2024, indicating an increase in sophisticated cyberattacks. The international community is concerned about the escalating cyber threats from North Korean hackers, prompting increased vigilance and cooperative action to protect against future cybercrime.
I think Government involvement and measures like this will foster trust in the crypto world
There are hackers in every part of the world. And they have caused individuals and organisations to lose funds and other resources. The Lazarus Group is a well-known cybercrime organization that has given the crypto space a bad reputation. They were the reason why some privacy tools were outlawed by some governments. But I think that the reason why they are the focus of these hackers is the fear that it will be used to finance the production of North Korean nuclear weapons. The US has also used them as an excuse to target some privacy tools.
