U.S.-ROK-Japan Joint Assertion on DPRK Information Technology Staff

The textual content of the next assertion was launched by the Government of the United States of America, Japan, and the Republic of Korea on North Korean Information Technology (IT) staff.

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The United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (ROK) stay united in our efforts to counter the risk posed by North Korean IT staff. North Korea continues to dispatch its IT staff world wide to generate income, which funds its illegal weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile packages, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). The United States, Japan, and the ROK categorical severe considerations over the evolving malicious actions of North Korean IT staff.

North Korean IT staff use quite a lot of strategies to disguise themselves as non-North Korean IT staff with false identities and places, together with by leveraging AI instruments in addition to cooperating with international facilitators. They benefit from present calls for for superior IT expertise to acquire freelance employment contracts from an increasing variety of goal purchasers all through the world, together with in North America, Europe, and East Asia. North Korean IT staff themselves are additionally extremely prone to be concerned in malicious cyber actions, notably within the blockchain business. Hiring, supporting, or outsourcing work to North Korean IT staff more and more poses severe dangers, starting from theft of mental property, information, and funds to reputational hurt and authorized penalties.

In this context, our three international locations have taken coordinated actions to disrupt the North Korean IT employee risk. Today, Japan points an replace to its earlier alert to supply detailed data on new tradecraft utilized by North Korean IT staff and advises non-public sector entities to mitigate the chance of inadvertently hiring, supporting, or outsourcing work to North Korean IT staff. The United States is designating four entities and people furthering North Korean IT employee schemes, together with in Russia, Laos, and China. The Republic of Korea issued advisories on North Korean IT employee actions to assist firms keep away from being focused or victimized.

On August 26, our three international locations additionally hosted an occasion in Tokyo in partnership with Mandiant to enhance public-private partnership and assist worldwide business collaboration within the combat in opposition to North Korean exploitation.

The United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea reaffirm their dedication to enhancing their coordination among the many three international locations, and deepening collaboration between the private and non-private sector to counter malicious cyber actions and illicit income era by North Korea.

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