In a shocking revelation, North Korean technology workers posed as Americans to secure remote work contracts with hundreds of US companies to fund Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and missile programs, as stated by the US government. Christina Chapman from Arizona assisted three North Korean IT workers in obtaining “illicit telework employment” from US citizens, earning a whopping US$6.8 million over three years.
Chapman was charged, along with other alleged co-conspirators, for defrauding more than 300 US companies. The North Korean workers also attempted to gain information from US government agencies, linked to North Korea’s ballistic missile and weapons programs. Chapman helped run a “laptop farm” to make it appear as though the workers were based in the US, while also laundering proceeds through her accounts.
North Korea’s desperate attempts to fund its weapons programs have included deploying IT workers overseas, cyberattacks, and online crimes, as reported by US and South Korean officials. The US State Department offers a reward for information disrupting these efforts, while North Korea continues to use fake job offers to extract sensitive information from US employees.