North Korea has strongly condemned the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) after the agency exposed a major information technology infiltration operation.
The DOJ revealed that North Korean operatives ran schemes to fund the regime by remotely accessing IT jobs within U.S. companies.
North Korean officials called the DOJ’s accusations “an absurd smear campaign” targeting the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Earlier this week, the DOJ announced it had uncovered a network involving North Korean hackers supported by individuals in the U.S., China, the United Arab Emirates, and Taiwan.
These operatives secured employment with more than 100 U.S. companies, including several Fortune 500 firms. The workers received company laptops, which they allowed North Korean IT personnel to access remotely.
One scheme involved North Korean hackers using false identities to gain jobs at a blockchain research and development company in Atlanta, Georgia.
Through this access, they stole over $900,000 in virtual currency, according to the DOJ.
As part of the investigation, the DOJ unsealed a five-count indictment against Zhenxing Wang, a U.S. citizen residing in New Jersey, who has been arrested, Fox News reported.
Wang and his collaborators allegedly secured remote IT jobs and generated over $5 million in illicit revenue.
The indictment also names several other accused individuals, including Chinese nationals Jing Bin Huang, Baoyu Zhou, Tong Yuze, Yongzhe Xu, Ziyou Yuan, and Zhenbang Zhou.
Taiwanese nationals Mengting Liu and Enchia Liu are also charged, alongside another U.S. national, Kejia “Tony” Wang, from New Jersey, who faces separate charges.
North Korea’s state news agency, KCNA, reported that a DPRK Foreign Ministry spokesperson criticized the U.S. judicial system’s actions against North Korean citizens accused of cybercrimes.
The spokesperson called the DOJ’s case “an absurd smear campaign” and described it as a violation of North Korean sovereignty.
The spokesperson alleged that the U.S. government has consistently fabricated claims of a “non-existent cyber threat” from the DPRK. They further stated that the U.S. provocation threatens the rights and security of DPRK citizens, accusing the U.S. of creating instability in international cyberspace rather than the DPRK.
The North Korean spokesperson said the U.S. has weaponized cybersecurity issues for political purposes.
They claimed the U.S. turns cyberspace into a battleground and uses cyber accusations to damage other nations’ reputations and infringe upon their rights.
The DPRK official warned that North Korea reserves the right to take proportionate countermeasures to defend its citizens against what it calls unjust judicial actions. The spokesperson also pledged to hold accountable those outside North Korea who engage in hostile actions.
The DOJ’s indictment covers activity from 2021 through most of 2024. It alleges the defendants and others compromised the identities of over 80 U.S. residents to secure remote employment at more than 100 companies. The victims suffered damages including legal fees and network remediation costs estimated at $3 million.
According to the DOJ, Kejia and Zhenxing Wang, along with at least four other U.S.-based facilitators, helped overseas IT workers execute the scheme. They allegedly set up shell companies with websites and financial accounts to make the operation appear legitimate.
The conspirators received payments from U.S. companies, which were then funneled to overseas co-conspirators. The DOJ said Kejia, Zhenxing, and others in the U.S. earned at least $696,000 for their roles.
One targeted company was a defense contractor involved in artificial intelligence technology. By accessing this firm’s data, the hackers potentially gained sensitive information regulated under International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
The DOJ also reported that the FBI and Defense Criminal Investigative Service seized 17 websites used in the scheme. They also froze 29 financial accounts holding tens of thousands of dollars linked to money laundering for the DPRK regime.
Additionally, the DOJ announced a five-count indictment against four North Korean nationals — Kim Kwang Jin, Kang Tae Bok, Jong Pong Ju, and Change Nam II — for wire fraud and money laundering. These individuals allegedly stole over $900,000 in virtual currency from two companies and laundered the proceeds.
All four North Korean suspects remain at large and are wanted by the FBI. The DOJ continues to investigate the scope of the infiltration and its impact on U.S. companies and national security.
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