Confidential UN Report Alleges North Korean Hackers Stole Millions of Dollars to Fund Its Nuclear Weapons

What’s the Story

A classified United Nations report revealed that hackers from North Korea have allegedly stolen around $316.4 million worth of virtual assets from financial institutions and virtual currency exchange houses, to fund their nuclear weapons program and to boost their struggling economy.

The report also disclosed that Pyongyang “produced fissile material, maintained nuclear facilities and upgraded its ballistic missile infrastructure” while continually seeking “material and technology for these programs from overseas.”

Since 2006, UN has issued sanctions on North Korea in an attempt to discontinue funding for its nuclear missiles programs

At the moment, North Korea has not yet given a comment regarding this report.

North Korean hackers stole more than $300 million to pay for nuclear weapons, says confidential UN report

North Korea’s army of hackers stole hundreds of millions of dollars to fund the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs in violation of international law, according to a confidential United Nations report.

CNN disclosed that they were able to obtain details of the confidential report through a diplomatic source at the United Nations Security Council, who shared portions of the document on the condition of anonymity. 

The document accused the regime of leader Kim Jong Un of conducting “operations against financial institutions and virtual currency exchange houses” to pay for weapons and keep North Korea’s struggling economy afloat.

One unnamed country that is a member of the UN claimed the hackers stole virtual assets worth $316.4 million dollars between 2019 and November 2020, according to the document.

North Korea upgraded nuclear missile programme in 2020, says UN diplomat

Confidential UN report reveals Pyongyang was acting in violation of international sanctions

According to The Guardian, North Korea maintained and developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes throughout 2020 in violation of international sanctions, said a UN diplomat with knowledge of a confidential report given to security council members on Monday.

The report by independent sanctions monitors said Pyongyang “produced fissile material, maintained nuclear facilities and upgraded its ballistic missile infrastructure”, and continued to seek technology for those programmes from abroad.

In 2019, the UN sanctions monitors reported that North Korea made at least $370m by exporting coal, which is banned under UN sanctions. But last year, they said coal shipments appeared to have been largely suspended since July 2020.