North Korea remains on Washington’s latest blacklist of states that are believed to support international terrorism.
The U.S. government is also promising a reward for information on two North Korean IT companies one based in China and another in Russia.
Lee Seung-jae has more.
The U.S State Department on Thursday released its annual list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The 2023 Country Reports on Terrorism has included North Korea for the eighth year straight.
The regime was first listed as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1988 for its involvement in the 1987 bombing of a Korean Air passenger flight.
However, North Korea’s designation was rescinded in 2008 after a legal review.
In November 2017, the State Department added North Korea back onto the list, noting that the regime has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism in the nine years since being removed.
The U.S. included examples of North Korea’s support of terrorism, including the protection and sheltering of four Japanese Red Army members who are wanted by the Japanese government for their part in the 1970 Japan Airlines hijacking.
The annual list has served as a guide for policy decisions on counterterrorism, and includes Cuba, Iran, and Syria.
Meanwhile, Washington is offering a reward of up to five million U.S. dollars for information on two North Korean IT firms.
Yanbian Silverstar Network Technology in China and Volasys Silverstar in Russia are accused of exploiting workers to generate revenue for the North.
The U.S. State Department also named 14 people involved with the companies, including a single CEO of both firms and the presidents of the two companies.
In its release, the U.S. accused the companies of “generating revenue by deceiving U.S. and other businesses worldwide into hiring them as freelance IT workers.”
It added that the companies “laundered their ill-gotten gains” to benefit North Korea.
The 14 individuals and other unnamed associates are known to have used stolen, borrowed, and purchased identities of hundreds of people in the U.S. in order to conceal their identities.
Through those actions they worked with some 130 North Korean IT workers to generate at least 88 million U.S. dollars in illicit revenue for the regime.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
source : https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=278984
