The United States government has announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the capture of North Korean IT workers who illegally obtained over $6.8 million by infiltrating American companies, using false identities
On May. 16 (local time), the Department of State announced that it is using the Rewards for Justice program to gather information about these individuals.
According to the Department, North Korean workers using the aliases Jiho Han, Chunji Jin, and Haoran Xu illegally participated in remote work plans of U.S. companies. They are accused of allegedly using over 60 false U.S. identities to carry out their plans. Zhonghua, their manager, was also involved in the scheme.
Additionally, a U.S. citizen named Christina Chapman helped these three secure jobs as remote software and application developers from Oct. 2020 to Oct. 2023. Ms. Chapman also assisted in laundering the criminal proceeds by receiving and distributing payments from U.S. companies to the North Korean IT workers.
The North Korean IT workers tried to join two U.S. government agencies but were unsuccessful. The State Department stated that these individuals are linked to North Korea’s Munitions Industry Department, which oversees ballistic missile development, weapons production, and research and development.
In 2022, the Department of State also used the Rewards for Justice program to offer a reward for Kwek Kee Seng, a Singaporean national, for violating U.S. sanctions against North Korea.
