North Korea Likely Stole Over $2 Billion in Cryptocurrency Last Year
Jan 13
2 min read
North Korea’s estimated $2 billion-plus crypto theft, used to evade sanctions and fund weapons programs, has turned Pyongyang into a “rogue crypto superpower,” pushing Washington toward confrontation as cybercrime becomes central to Kim Jong Un’s survival strategy.
News Summary
North Korea likely stole over US$2 billion in cryptocurrency last year, using cyber theft and illicit IT worker activities to evade sanctions and fund its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Speaking at a U.N. meeting on January 12, U.S. State Department Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jonathan Fritz said the figure is a conservative low-end estimate, with the actual total likely higher.
Commentary
The Kim regime’s cyber theft is no longer a marginal concern for the United States or the international community. It has evolved into a global security threat that cannot be ignored.
As Perry Choi, CEO of Aeye Intel, observed in his article at 38 North, North Korea has transformed itself “from a digital kleptocracy into a rogue crypto superpower,” one capable of sustaining the regime despite traditional sanctions.
As Pyongyang’s survival strategy grows more sophisticated—and increasingly threatens U.S. national security—the Trump administration’s patience is unlikely to endure much longer.
For Kim Jong Un, however, continuing down this path is no longer a choice but a necessity.
Amid internal unraveling and deepening distrust of the United States—reinforced by cases like Venezuela—cyber theft has become a central pillar of Kim Jong Un’s strategy for financing elite loyalty, weapons programs, and regime survival under sustained pressure.
This leaves little room for reconciliation between Trump and Kim, as their core interests are fundamentally clashing.
The moment is fast approaching when Washington concludes that the Kim regime has crossed a red line. That reckoning may arrive sooner than many expect.
