In a joint statement released Friday, government agencies from nine countries warned of security risks from hiring North Korean IT workers. According to the statement, Pyongyang deploys IT personnel domestically and globally, using fake identities to take remote jobs, creating an illegal revenue stream to fund its banned nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The statement, signed by the United States, South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, and others, also noted that artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to expand North Korea's network of fraudulent IT workers. These workers are also considered a spy threat and a source of cybercrime.
North Korea has long asserted its right to possess nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles despite UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting them. The country enshrined its nuclear status in its constitution in 2023. Amid tightened international sanctions, Pyongyang is believed to run cybercrime operations, stealing cryptocurrency and laundering money to fund its military ambitions.
The statement detailed that North Korean IT workers frequently apply for jobs on freelance platforms by impersonating foreigners and remit their entire salaries directly to state agencies. They also pose a growing internal security threat to global companies by stealing corporate data, pilfering cryptocurrency, and spying on sensitive information.
“North Korean IT workers use increasingly sophisticated methods, including the integration of AI, to conceal their identities and expand operations globally,” the coalition stressed, calling on recruiting platforms and private employers to significantly strengthen identity verification processes.
The warning noted that operatives often rely on intermediaries in North Korea, China, Russia, and Southeast Asia to set up “laptop farms” — locations housing company-issued devices that North Korean workers access remotely via VPN to hide their actual location. The coalition, which also includes France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, follows earlier announcements by Washington and its allies, urging global companies to immediately tighten identity verification and hardware checks.
