North Korea stole $2.8 billion in cryptocurrency in 2024 and 2025, report says
A multinational team monitoring the implementation of UN sanctions on North Korea says the country stole around 2.8 billion dollars in cryptocurrency from around the world between 2024 and September 2025.
The 11-nation Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, or MSMT, released its findings in a report on Wednesday. Its members include Japan, the United States and South Korea.
The report says North Korean cyber actors have hacked into and stolen from major cryptocurrency exchanges across the globe, including Bybit in the United Arab Emirates and DMM Bitcoin in Japan.
It also says that North Korea has attempted to obtain information on nuclear facilities and submarines from the US, the United Kingdom, South Korea and other countries.
The report points out that stolen South Korean technologies were used in the development of a North Korean reconnaissance satellite, as well as submarine-launched ballistic missiles, or SLBMs.
The MSMT team was set up in October 2024 to monitor the implementation of UN sanctions on North Korea after the UN Security Council’s panel of experts was disbanded in April of that year due to Russia’s veto.
A joint statement released by the MSMT on Wednesday says, “Considering the continued violations and evasions of relevant UN Security Council resolutions, we urge the Security Council to reestablish the Panel of Experts in the same strength and structure it had prior to its disbandment.”
