Reports indicate that North Korean officials have arrested a team of skilled government hackers. They are accused of stealing money belonging to the North Korean government and then disguising it through cryptocurrency transactions.
A source in Pyongyang told Daily NK that hackers broke into the computer networks of North Korea’s two main banks: the Chosun Central Bank and the Foreign Trade Bank.
The group was reportedly rounded up on July 12 after an internal investigation that traced suspicious cryptocurrency transactions to a safe house in Pyongyang.
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The report indicates that the hacking group was led by ex-members of a cyber warfare division connected to North Korea’s intelligence agency. They specifically sought out skilled graduates from top universities like Kim Chaek University of Technology and Pyongyang University of Science. The group used sophisticated hacking techniques, secure communication methods, and wireless equipment sourced from China to carry out their attacks.
Reports suggest that Chinese brokers turned cryptocurrency into actual money, and then people working near North Korea’s borders traded that money for traditional currency.
Long history of crypto theft allegations
As a researcher tracking cyber threats, I’ve consistently found North Korea to be a major player in cryptocurrency hacking, and they’re widely considered one of the most active state-sponsored groups in this space.
The United Nations, along with the governments of the United States, South Korea, and Japan, have frequently accused North Korea’s hacking groups – including the well-known Lazarus Group – of stealing billions of dollars in cryptocurrency and other digital funds.
As a researcher tracking cyber threats, I’ve been following reports that U.S. officials believe North Korean hackers are responsible for some of the biggest cryptocurrency thefts ever seen. My investigations point to their involvement in attacks targeting major platforms like Ronin Bridge, Harmony Horizon Bridge, Atomic Wallet, Alphapo, CoinEx, DMM Bitcoin, and WazirX.
Pyongyang has repeatedly dismissed U.S. and UN accusations as politically motivated fabrications.
If the recent report from Daily NK is true, the situation is quite ironic. Apparently, people trained by North Korea to carry out complex cyberattacks ended up stealing money from North Korean banks themselves.
2026-07-24 15:27