North Korea sold military secrets to North Korea for bitcoin

The Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office has charged the head of a local cryptocurrency investment company and an active-duty military officer with violating the National Security Law by leaking military secrets to a North Korean hacker in exchange for bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, according to the prosecutor’s released investment report.

A military officer photographed and leaked military secrets via a disposable phone due to poor image quality on a hidden wristwatch camera purchased by an unnamed cryptocurrency executive, local media reported on Thursday.

According to local media reports, the chief executive received $600,000 worth of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies from a North Korean hacker whom the crypto investor met on Telegram six years ago. The military met the hacker in 2020 and received about 48 million won ($37,780) in bitcoin.

In January, a hacker instructed a crypto chief to acquire a hacking device using crypto obtained from North Korea, while a military officer shared the keys to enter in a failed attempt to give the hacker remote access to the Korea Joint Command and Control System. , the South Korean military’s intercom network.

The two have admitted to the charges, but the name of the North Korean hacker remains unknown. This is the first known case of a South Korean military helping a North Korean hacker through a social network.