National security officials from the U.S., South Korean and Japanese governments discussed North Korea's cryptocurrency theft and other information about North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, the White House announced late Friday.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, South Korea's National Security Advisor Cho Tae-Yong and Japan's National Security Advisor Takeo Akiba met in Seoul, South Korea, to discuss a variety of issues, including North Korea and its ongoing weapons of mass destruction program, as well as cryptocurrency theft, according to a White House press release.
North Korea has stolen billions of dollars worth of cryptocurrencies from the crypto industry, attracting the attention of various government entities. The U.S. Treasury Department, OFAC, sanctioned multiple coin mixers allegedly used by North Korean hackers to transfer stolen funds. (CoinDesk)
Last week, it was reported that the U.S. Treasury Department launched sanctions against Sinbad, a cryptocurrency mixing server, on the grounds that the service supports transactions linked to North Korean hacking groups. Sinbad's website has also been seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Netherlands Financial Intelligence and Investigation Agency (FIOD), Openbaar Ministryie (Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office), and the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation.