WASHINGTON-Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned six individuals and two entities for their roles in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) government-orchestrated information technology (IT) worker schemes that systematically defraud U.S. businesses and generate revenue to fund the DPRK’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, including nearly $800 million in 2024.
“The North Korean regime targets American companies through deceptive schemes carried out by its overseas IT operatives, who weaponize sensitive data and extort businesses for substantial payments,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Under President Trump’s leadership, Treasury will continue to follow the money in order to protect U.S. businesses from these malicious activities and ensure those responsible are held accountable.”
DPRK-facilitated IT teams commonly rely on fraudulent documentation, stolen identities, and fabricated personas to conceal their true identities and gain employment with legitimate companies, including those in the United States and allied countries. The DPRK government reportedly appropriates the majority of the wages earned by these overseas IT workers, generating hundreds of millions of dollars to support the regime’s WMD and ballistic missile programs, in violation of U.S. and United Nations sanctions. In certain instances, DPRK-affiliated workers have also covertly introduced malware into company networks to extract proprietary and sensitive information.