North Korean hackers account for over half of global crypto theft

SEOUL, December 20 (AJP) - North Korea-linked hackers reportedly have stolen approximately $1.34 billion in cryptocurrency across 47 separate scams this year. The amount is the largest ever recorded, according to a report released on Thursday by American blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis. The stolen amount surpasses the previous record of $1.1 billion in 2022 and more than doubles last year's total of $660.5 million. The firm said that North Korean hackers accounted for 60

December 20, 2024

Kim Jong-un visits mausoleum on father's death anniversary

SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a mausoleum for his late father to mark the 13th anniversary of his death, according to state media. "A floral basket..... was laid before the statues" of Kim Jong-il and his father and regime founder Kim Il-sung at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, the country's state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Wednesday. Kim was accompanied by top party officials including his siste

December 18, 2024

North Korean media covers Yoon's impeachment

SEOUL, December 16 (AJP) - North Korea's state media reported Monday on the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, two days after the National Assembly passed a motion to impeach him over his short-lived declaration of martial law earlier this month. The North first reported on South Korea's political turmoil on Dec. 11, about a week after Yoon's botched martial law gambit. Describing him as the "ringleader of the rebellion," the official state

December 16, 2024

US offers bounty for North Korean IT workers

SEOUL, December 13 (AJP) - A reward of up to $5 million, along with the most wanted list, has been put on North Korean firms based in China and Russia that are allegedly involved in sending North Korean workers overseas for money laundering and supporting the country's weapons of mass destruction program, the U.S. State Department revealed on Thursday. The department said it is "seeking information on North Korean information technology (IT) companies..... engaged in the ex

December 13, 2024

North Korea remains on annual US terrorism report

SEOUL, December 13 (AJP) - North Korea remains on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, according to the U.S. State Department's annual report released on Thursday. The 2023 Country Reports on Terrorism, which guides U.S. counterterrorism policy, includes North Korea alongside Cuba, Iran, and Syria as countries that sponsor terrorism. The latest report reiterated its 2017 statement, highlighting that the department "determined that had repeatedly provide

December 13, 2024

Russian Embassy in Pyongyang hosts banquet to celebrate ratification of military pact

SEOUL, December 11 (AJP) - The Russian Embassy in North Korea hosted a banquet on Tuesday to celebrate the ratification of a military defense pact between the two countries, North Korean state media reported Wednesday. The official state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said its leader Kim Jong-un's sister Yo-jong, Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, and other top officials including Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the rubberstamp Supreme People's Assembly, attended the event.

December 11, 2024

North Korea breaks silence on South Korea's martial law crisis

SEOUL, December 11 (AJP) - North Korea on Wednesday reported South Korea's political turmoil for the first time, after keeping mum for over a week since President Yoon Suk Yeol abruptly declared martial law last week. Calling it a "shocking incident," Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, "The puppet Yoon Suk Yeol, who had already faced a serious crisis of governance and impeachment, declared martial law unexpectedly and unleashed the g

December 11, 2024

Military pact between North Korea and Russia comes into effect

SEOUL, December 5 (AJP) - A treaty pledging mutual military assistance between North Korea and Russia took effect this week after the two countries exchanged ratification documents, the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday. Initially signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang in June, the military pact commits both countries to come to each other's aid in the event of an armed attack. Effective Wednes

December 5, 2024

North Korea's UN envoy evades question over troop deployment to Russia

SEOUL, November 28 (AJP) - North Korea remains evasive about its troop development to Russia to assist its war in Ukraine. During a Security Council meeting in New York on Wednesday, North Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Kim Song accused the international community of being deceived by the U.S. and its allies who he claimed are attempting to "cover up the root cause of the outbreak" of the war in Ukraine. "The Ukrainian crisis was started by the United Stat

November 28, 2024

Value of North Korean currency has dropped sharply in recent months: report

SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - The value of North Korean currency has plummeted significantly in recent months, with the exchange rate against the U.S. dollar soaring to unprecedented levels, a Japanese newspaper reported Tuesday, citing sources involved in trade with North Korea. The Mainichi Shimbun reported that the exchange rate between the North Korean won and the U.S. dollar surged from around 8,000 won per dollar in April to a staggering 32,000 won per dollar in mid-November.

November 26, 2024