US, South Korea, Japan urge int'l community to repatriate North Korean IT workers

The US, South Korea and Japan have urged the international community to expel North Korean IT workers to prevent advancing its nuclear and missile programs with income earned, Anadolu reports.

"We reiterate with concern that overseas DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) IT workers continue using forged identities and nationalities" to evade UN Security Council sanctions and "earn income abroad that funds the DPRK's unlawful WMD (weapons of mass destruction) and ballistic missile programs," according to the Kyodo News agency, citing a joint statement issued following the meeting.

"UN member states should be vigilant and ensure that no work authorizations are renewed or granted to overseas DPRK laborers" consistent with the sanctions resolution, said senior officials from South Korea, the US and Japan, who met in Seoul and discussed ongoing tension on the Korean Peninsula and North Korea’s missile launches.

The officials claimed North Korea stole around $1.7 billion in cryptocurrency in 2022.

The latest development came after a statement by South Korean Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup that said North Korea has already completed preparations and could hold a nuclear test at any time.