DPRK IT WORKERS - BACKGROUND

DPRK IT WORKERS - BACKGROUND

DPRK IT WORKERS - BACKGROUND

DPRK IT workers provide a critical stream of revenue that helps fund the DPRK regime’s highest economic and security priorities, such as its weapons development program. DPRK leader Kim Jong Un recognizes the importance of IT workers as a significant source of foreign currency and revenue and supports their operations.

There are thousands of DPRK IT workers both dispatched overseas and located within the DPRK, generating revenue that is remitted back to the North Korean government. DPRK IT workers are located primarily in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia, with a smaller number in Africa and Southeast Asia. These IT workers often rely on their overseas contacts to obtain freelance jobs for them and to interface more directly with customers.

All DPRK IT workers earn money to support North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s regime. The vast majority of them are subordinate to and working on behalf of entities directly involved in the DPRK’s UN-prohibited WMD and ballistic missile programs, as well as its advanced conventional weapons development and trade sectors. This results in revenue generated by these DPRK IT workers being used by the DPRK to develop its WMD and ballistic programs, in violation of U.S. and UN sanctions. Many of these entities have been designated for sanctions by the UN and United States. DPRK entities dispatching DPRK IT workers include:

The 313 General Bureau of the Munitions Industry Department (MID), which controls the DPRK’s research and development and productions of weapons—to include nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles—and other military equipment. The MID is subordinate to the Korean Worker’s Party Central Committee and, through the 313 General Bureau, deploys a majority of the DPRK’s IT work force overseas. All property and interests in property of the Workers’ Party of Korea is blocked pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13722.
The Ministry of Atomic Energy Industry —a critical player in the DPRK’s development of nuclear weapons and in charge of day-to-day operation of the DPRK’s nuclear weapons program. The Ministry of Atomic Energy Industry is designated pursuant to E.O. 13382.
Military entities subordinate to the Ministry of Defense and Korea People’s Army. The Korean People’s Army is designated on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Property List.
Lesser-known entities, such as the DPRK Education Commission’s Foreign Trade Office and the Pyongyang Information Technology Bureau of the Central Committee’s Science and Education Department. All property and interests in property of the Government of the DPRK is blocked pursuant to E.O. 13722.

An overseas DPRK IT worker earns at least ten times more than a conventional North Korean laborer working in a factory or on a construction project overseas. DPRK IT workers can individually earn more than USD 300,000 a year in some cases, and teams of IT workers can collectively earn more than USD 3 million annually. A significant percentage of their gross earnings supports DPRK regime priorities, including its WMD program.

DPRK IT companies and their workers normally engage in a wide range of IT development work of varying complexity and difficulty, such as:

mobile applications and web-based applications,
building virtual currency exchange platforms and digital coins,
general IT support,
graphic animation,
online gambling programs,
mobile games,
dating applications,
artificial intelligence-related applications,
hardware and firmware development,
virtual reality and augmented reality programing,
facial and biometric recognition software, and
database development and management.

Applications and software developed by DPRK IT workers span a range of fields and sectors, including business, health and fitness, social networking, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. DPRK IT workers often take on projects that involve virtual currency. Some DPRK IT workers have designed virtual currency exchanges or created analytic tools and applications for virtual currency traders and marketed their products themselves.

For decades, the DPRK has underscored the importance of education in mathematics and science for its citizens. The emphasis on the advancement of science and technology, which has historically been a priority for the Kim regime, is reflected in the investment of resources and personnel into related fields of research. Today’s cyber and IT education in the DPRK was founded on this drive for advancement and resulted in an integrated curriculum coordinated with the Workers’ Party, research centers, and the military.

In recent years under Kim Jong Un, the regime has placed increased focus on education and training in IT-related subjects and has developed strong IT degree programs at several premier DPRK educational institutions—particularly Kim Il Sung University, Kim Chaek University of Technology, and Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. Approximately 30,000 students study information and communications technology-related subjects at these top universities alone.
As of 2019, 37 universities had reportedly established 85 programs offering courses in advanced science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects, including information security, and each province had established at least one new secondary school to cultivate promising students.
The DPRK education system is highly competitive, and only the top students are accepted into the elite science and technology programs. Students are recruited at a young age from secondary schools like Kumsong Academy and Kumsong Middle School Number 1.
DPRK IT workers receive additional training overseas and from their own organizations, often through regional IT research centers within the DPRK to further develop their skills. DPRK IT workers have historically received training in East Africa, Southeast Asia, and South Asia and benefit considerably from their overseas training.

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