North Korean hackers are an unavoidable subject of discussions considering the recent hype about them yet again. Hence, it is worth looking into the wrongdoings they have been accused of and to what extent they are guilty once more.
On 30 May 2019, radio station Voice of America reported that in the opinion of US intelligence agencies, the DPRK, facing economic difficulties due to imposed sanctions, was engaging in cyberattacks against banks and other financial institutions in order to obtain money. Erin Cho, the head of the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (an agency of the Department of Homeland Security), pointed out that North Korean cyber attacks were targeting virtual currency, a relatively new means of stealing money.
Former US State Department senior adviser Balbina Hwang also generated publicity with her
statements in August 2019. The visiting professor at Georgetown University talked about a story by the Associated Press that "cited a report from the United Nations Security Council" about North Korea's use of cyberspace to launch "increasingly sophisticated attacks to steal funds from financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges to generate income. The hardest-hit was South Korea, the victim of 10 North Korean cyberattacks, followed by India with three attacks and Bangladesh and Chile with two each".
As it turns out, "South Korea's Bithumb, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, was reportedly attacked at least four times". Two attacks occurred in February and July 2017, each resulting in losses of approximately $7 million, "while a June 2018 attack led to a $31 million loss and a March 2019 attack to a $20 million loss".
Comment: Leaving is not the typical US strategy, although the president has often conveyed this desire regarding Iraq. If appearing to do so, it likely means US forces will consolidate and regroup in a nearby military facility.