Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has announced that it will provide rewards totaling up to $15 million for information leading to the arrests or convictions of seven North Koreans implicated in illegal revenue generation schemes supporting Pyongyang's weapons programs, as stated by the State Department.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the department's Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program is offering these rewards for information on North Korean nationals, including Sim Hyon-sop and six accomplices. The U.S. government emphasized that it will not "stand idly" by as North Korea seeks to profit from "criminal" activities. The individuals were charged for their involvement in illicit activities involving the trade of tobacco from North Korea to obtain U.S. dollars.
The reward offers include up to $7 million for Sim, up to $3 million each for Myong Chol-min and Kim Se-un, and up to $500,000 each for Kim Yong-bok, Kim Chol-min, Ri Tong-min, and Ri Won-ho. Some of these individuals, including Sim and Kim Se-un, have also been linked to illegal information technology worker schemes. North Korea is believed to have sent thousands of IT workers abroad to conduct fraudulent IT work, primarily in Russia and China.
Additionally, the Treasury Department has sanctioned Korea Sobaeksu Trading Company, known for deploying North Korean IT workers to Vietnam, along with three North Korean nationals, Kim Se-un, Myong, and Jo Kyong-hun, for their involvement in illicit revenue generation activities.
"Today's actions illustrate the U.S. government's commitment to mitigating such threats posed by North Korea to protect U.S. companies, the U.S. financial system, and American citizens," the department stated, reinforcing the stance that "the United States will not stand idly by while North Korea profits from criminal activity to fund its destabilizing actions."