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☆ US, European officials crack down on crypto service accused of laundering money for North Korean leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —The US Treasury Department on Wednesday sanctioned a cryptocurrency service accused of helping launder millions of dollars for the North Korean regime. The FBI and European law enforcement agencies have also seized the website of the crypto service, known as Sinbad, according to a notice that appeared on the website Wednesday. Analysts say North Korea has leaned heavily on mixers to move money amid greater scrutiny from law enforcement agencies from the US, South Korea and elsewhere. The North Korean regime has also used thousands of IT workers working overseas, sometimes posing as other foreign nationals, to quietly raise revenue, according to US officials and North Korea experts. “The laundering tactics of North Korean cyber criminals continued to evolve,” Nick Carlsen, who was an FBI intelligence analyst focused on North Korea until 2021, told CNN.

Persons: Joe Biden, Sinbad, Nick Carlsen, Carlsen, “, ” Organizations: Washington CNN, US Treasury Department, Wednesday, North, FBI, cyberattacks, White House, US, CNN, US Treasury, Treasury, TRM Locations: launder, Korea, South Korea, cryptocurrency, North Korea, North Korean, North Koreans, Korean, Koreans

☆ North Korea halts nuclear reactor, likely to extract bomb fuel, Donga Ilbo reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The operation of the 5 megawatt nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex has been suspended since late September, according to intelligence assessment by U.S. and South Korean authorities, the report said. Reprocessing of spent fuel rods removed from a nuclear reactor is a step taken before plutonium is extracted. The Yongbyon nuclear complex is the North's main source of plutonium that it likely has used to build nuclear weapons. North Korea has also operated uranium enrichment facilities, which is a separate source of material that could be used for nuclear weapons. North Korea claims itself a nuclear state but has kept how many nuclear weapons it may have built or deployed a secret.

Persons: Jeon Ha, Siegfried Hecker, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Hecker, " Hecker, Kim, Jack Kim, Lincoln Organizations: Kyodo ., Donga Ilbo, Russia, North, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Thomson Locations: Korean, Yongbyon, Kyodo . North Korea, SEOUL, North Korea, Korea, Pyongyang, Russia, Korea's

☆ Putin signals potential willingness to assist Kim as two leaders meet for expected weapons talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Helen Regan Gawon Bae Larry Register Simone Mccarthy Anna Chernova | Helen Regan | Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin shake hands as they begin their talks at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Amur region, Russia, on September 13. Providing this technology to North Korea would be in violation of international sanctions, aimed at hampering Pyongyang’s ability to build a fully functioning nuclear weapons and ballistic missile force. After the talks, Kremlin spokesperson Peskov said “North Korea is our close neighbor,” according to state media. The two ballistic missiles fired by North Korea Wednesday morning each traveled about 650 kilometers (400 miles) before falling into the sea, according to the JCS. North Korea may be intending “to show that the military maintains readiness with uninterrupted command and control,” Easley said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Putin, “, ” Putin, ”, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Kim Jong Un's, Dmitry Peskov, ” Peskov, ” Leif, Eric Easley, John Bolton, ” Bolton, Peskov, Kim Yo Jong, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu “, ” Kim Jong Un's, ” Easley, Ankit, ” Panda, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Vostochny, Kremlin, Ewha Womans University, North, Russian, US National Security, of, Munitions Industry, Russian Defense, South Korea’s, Chiefs of Staff, North Korea Wednesday, Kremlin Analysts, Security, Nuclear, Carnegie Endowment, International Locations: Korea, Russia, North Korea, Russia’s, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Vostochny Cosmodrome, Amur, Kremlin North Korea, North Korean, Moscow, Seoul, Cosmodrome, Soviet Union, “ North Korea, South

KCNA via Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreSEOUL, Aug 17 (Reuters) - North Korea may launch an intercontinental ballistic missile or take other military action to protest a summit between the United States, South Korea and Japan, a South Korean lawmaker said on Thursday, citing the country's intelligence agency. North Korea has criticised deepening military cooperation among the three nations as part of a dangerous prelude to the creation of an "Asian version of NATO". Yoo said there was a chance the North would launch the satellite to celebrate its founding anniversary on Sept. 9. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made it a priority to conduct a launch during the second half of this year, Yoo noted. The United States has accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, which it calls a "special operation", including artillery shells, shoulder-fired rockets and missiles.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim Ju, Joe Biden, Camp David, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida, Yoo Sang, Yoo, Kim Jong, Kim, hyang Choi, Edmund Klamann, Gerry Doyle Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, South, Camp, South Korean, NATO, National Intelligence Service, United, Thomson Locations: Pyongyang, North Korea, SEOUL, United States, South Korea, Japan, South Korean, Seoul, Tokyo, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ North Korea hackers suspected in new $35 million crypto heist
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —North Korean hackers were likely behind the theft of at least $35 million from a popular cryptocurrency service, multiple crypto-tracking experts told CNN Tuesday. The hackers drained the cryptocurrency accounts of certain customers of Atomic Wallet, an Estonia-based company that claims 5 million users of its software. An independent cryptocurrency tracker known as ZachXBT told CNN that North Korean hackers were very likely responsible. The amount confirmed stolen could rise above $35 million as Atomic Wallet continues to investigate the incident, the analyst said. Thwarting North Korean hacking and money laundering has quickly become a national security priority for the Biden administration.

Persons: ZachXBT, ” ZachXBT, Biden Organizations: New, New York CNN, North, CNN, Korean, Twitter, United Nations, telltale, FBI, cyberattacks, White Locations: New York, Pyongyang, Estonia, London, California, North Korea

☆ North Korean leader Kim's daughter appears at sports event, state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts as he watches sport games in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released on February 17, 2023 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, Feb 18 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong and his daughter watched a sports event attended by government officials on Friday, according to state media, the first time the girl has been seen at a non-military event. The daughter, often described by state media as Kim’s “beloved child" or "respected child" has been seen alongside her father Kim at military events including earlier this month. Little is known about the girl and she has not been named in state media. Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, was also seen at the event, seated in the back row in a photo released by KCNA.

☆ Kim Jong Un's daughter appears at sports event
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts as he watches sport games in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released on February 17, 2023 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, Feb 18 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter watched a sports event attended by government officials on Friday, according to state media, the first time the girl has been seen at a non-military event. The daughter, often described by state media as Kim’s “beloved child" or "respected child" has been seen alongside her father Kim at military events including earlier this month. Little is known about the girl and she has not been named in state media. Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, was also seen at the event, seated in the back row in a photo released by KCNA.

☆ SEC charges Do Kwon, Terraform with fraud in connection with Terra collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Do Kwon, co-founder and chief executive officer of Terraform Labs, insists that he is not on the run from South Korean authorities. Terraform Labs, the company that Kwon founded, is behind the collapsed cryptocurrencies terraUSD and luna, which combined were worth $60 billion before they crashed. The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Terraform Labs and its CEO, Do Kwon, with fraud, alleging that they orchestrated a multibillion dollar "crypto asset securities fraud," the SEC said Thursday. The SEC alleges that Kwon marketed those assets, including those mAsset swaps and Terra, as profit-bearing securities, "repeatedly claiming" the tokens would increase in value. Kwon is wanted in South Korea for his involvement in the collapse of TerraUSD.

☆ Daughter of North Korean leader Kim shares spotlight with nuclear missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Sharing drinks, watching missile parades and dining with senior army commanders, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's daughter was centre stage with her father and mother at major military events this week. A day earlier, Ri and the daughter were once again with Kim as he wined, dined and flattered military commanders at a lavish banquet commemorating this week's army foundation anniversary. [1/3] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, his wife Ri Sol Ju and their daughter Kim Ju Ae attend a military parade to mark the 75th founding anniversary of North Korea's army, at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea February 8, 2023, in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The North Korean leadership probably has to make the case for why the country has to keep investing in national defence in spite of the deteriorating economic conditions," Lee said. "And no propaganda can be more potent than the leader’s young daughter to convey that message."

☆ Why North Korea’s missile tests are going higher and further
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

North Korea missiles Stronger, faster, higher North Korea has made steady progress in expanding its missile programme, developing weapons that can strike across the globe - or hit critical targets closer to home. North Korea has forged ahead in developing ballistic missiles, testing new capabilities, honing existing weapons and putting them into service. Like most North Korean long-range ballistic missile tests, both ICBMs were fired on lofted trajectories. Trajectories of some of North Korea’s long-range missile testsNuclear warheads South Korea and the United States have warned since early 2022 that North Korea may resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017. Same missiles, different locationsAmong North Korea's ballistic missiles, SRBMs appear to be the most likely to be deployed, Panda said.

☆ North Korea Wants Dollars. It’s a Sign of Trouble.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | Pablo Robles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

Media Korean Studies 2016 2008 New Finished New buildings Repainted TAEDONG RIVER TAEDONG RIVER Pyongyang in 2008. Media Korean Studies 2008 2016 New Finished New buildings Repainted TAEDONG RIVER TAEDONG RIVER Pyongyang in 2008. Under Mr. Kim, North Korea has opened a new terminal at the city’s international airport, renovated subway stations and opened new amusement parks. Missile tests this year alone cost North Korea hundreds of millions of dollars, according to estimates by South Korean and American researchers. An array of cell phones, assembled in North Korea with components imported from China, is on sale and advertised on state TV.

☆ Analysis: In male-dominated North Korea, leadership prospects of Kim Jong Un's daughter are uncertain
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Chun Su-jin, the South Korean author of a book on North Korean women leaders, said the chance of North Korean elites welcoming Kim's daughter as ruler is close to zero. “That gives ample time for North Korea's political culture to change and create the conditions for a female successor,” Madden said. The increased participation of North Korean women in elite politics does not necessarily indicate change to the broader social or political systems, 38 North said in a 2020 report. North Korea is deeply isolated from world geopolitics and is under UN sanctions for its weapons programmes, which include nuclear bombs. "In North Korea, gender is still important to be a leader," said Hyun In-ae, a North Korean defector who now works at the Ewha Institute of Unification Studies in Seoul.

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