Suspected N. Korean IT worker found at S. Korean firm under false identity for 1st time

Police are investigating North Korean information technology (IT) workers suspected of taking jobs at a South Korean company under false identities, the first time authorities have disclosed such a case. The case raises concern that wages earned through such employment are funding Pyongyang’s weapons development, amid a recent large-scale U.S. crackdown on similar remote employment fraud. Police said Thursday that they independently detected one suspected case last year in which a North Korean IT worker fraudulently took a job. The worker was reportedly hired by a private South Korean company and carried out development work. Police are tracing the amount and method of payments while also probing possible organized links. North Korean IT workers are increasingly landing remote jobs at global companies under forged identities and with fast-evolving artificial intelligence (AI) tools, funneling their earnings to Pyongyang. In July, 11 countries, including South Korea, the United States and Japan, issued an alert warning that North Korea relies on a network of skilled IT workers to fund i