U.S. charges 4 North Koreans in cyber plot to fund weapons development

Four North Korean nationals have been indicted in Georgia for their alleged roles in a cyber scheme designed to fund the North Korean regime’s weapons and cyber programs, according to prosecutors.

The suspects are accused of posing as remote IT workers to infiltrate U.S. companies, steal over $900,000 in virtual currency, and launder the proceeds using fake identities and international accounts, according to a press release on Monday bu the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

The indictment names Kim Kwang Jin, Kang Tae Bok, Jong Pong Ju, and Chang Nam Il. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the four men used stolen and fabricated personal identities to conceal their North Korean citizenship and gain employment as IT specialists with blockchain and digital asset companies in the United States and abroad.

According to the indictment and information presented in court, the defendants entered the United Arab Emirates in October 2019 using North Korean passports and operated as a team. In December 2020 and May 2021, respectively, Kim Kwang Jin, using a stolen identity, and Jong Pong Ju, under the alias “Bryan Cho,” were hired as developers by a blockchain R&D company based in Atlanta and a Serbian virtual token company.

Using fake identification documents and concealing their true nationalities, the men obtained positions that granted them access to their employers’ digital assets.

In February 2022, Jong Pong Ju allegedly stole approximately $175,000 in virtual currency. The following month, Kim Kwang Jin allegedly stole around $740,000 by modifying the source code of smart contracts managed by his employer.

Prosecutors allege the stolen funds were laundered through a virtual currency mixer and funneled into exchange accounts controlled by Kang Tae Bok and Chang Nam Il, using fake Malaysian identification documents and aliases.

“These schemes target and steal from U.S. companies and are designed to evade sanctions and fund the North Korean regime’s illicit programs, including its weapons programs,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

The investigation is part of the Department of Justice’s DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative, launched in March 2024 to disrupt North Korea’s global efforts to generate illicit revenue. The program prioritizes enforcement against both foreign actors and their U.S.-based enablers.