US Sanctions North Korean Hacking Group Kim Su-ki and 8 Individuals in Response to Reconnaissance Satellite Launch

On the 30th (local time), the U.S. Department of the Treasury added the North Korean hacking group 'Kimsuky' and eight North Korean nationals to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced this on its website that day. In a press release, the Treasury stated, "This is a response to North Korea's claim on the 21st that it launched a military satellite," adding, "It demonstrates the multifaceted efforts of the United States and partner countries to block North Korea's revenue generation, procurement, and intelligence-gathering capabilities aimed at advancing its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs and the illicit export of weapons and related materials."

The Kimsuky group designated for sanctions this time is a hacker organization under the Reconnaissance General Bureau's Third Bureau (Technical Reconnaissance Bureau) of North Korea. According to a report by the UN Security Council's Panel of Experts on North Korea sanctions in April, Kimsuky targets military, energy, and infrastructure sectors, aiming to steal confidential information from companies operating in these fields.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Kimsuky uses tactics such as distributing emails impersonating well-known institutions or real individuals to steal information. In South Korea, they have been involved in incidents including the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power document leak (2014), emails impersonating the National Security Office (2016), and emails impersonating government agencies, National Assembly offices, and journalists (2022).

The South Korean government designated Kimsuky as a target of independent sanctions against North Korea on June 2, shortly after North Korea launched its military reconnaissance satellite. The eight individuals designated by the U.S. Treasury are associated with North Korea’s state-run weapons export companies, financial institutions, and paper companies. Among them are North Korean nationals Choi Sung-chul, Choi Eun-hyuk, Im Sung-soon, and Seo Myung.