A North Korean entity under its Workers' Party has created thousands of illegal online gambling websites and sold them to a South Korean cybercrime network for huge profits, the spy agency said Wednesday.
Gyonghung Information Technology Co., a 15-member group based in Dandong, a Chinese border city neighboring Sinuiju in the North, allegedly received $5,000 from the unnamed South Korean criminal organization for creating a single website and $3,000 a month for maintain the website. according to the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
It was also suspected that he would receive an additional $2,000 to $5,000 if the website gathered many users through the bank accounts of Chinese citizens and the global online payment service PayPal.
North Korea seeking for money thru Casino Cruise
The entity was believed to be under the North Korean party's so-called Office 39, tasked with collecting and managing leader Kim Jong-un's secret funds, the NIS said, adding that each member of the organization sent around $500 to North Korea government every month.
The organization was led by Kim Kwang-myong, who was originally an official in the Northern Reconnaissance General Bureau, Pyongyang's main intelligence office.
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The North Korean organization also extorted personal information from users who accessed the websites it created by placing malicious code on the websites, according to the agency. The NIS said there are thousands of North Koreans earning money abroad using similar methods.
Currently, North Korean citizens cannot work in China, as the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions against Pyongyang in 2017 to prevent the North from earning money to develop nuclear weapons and missiles.
