North Korea Steals Trillions Of Rupiah In Crypto To Develop Nuclear Weapons, UN Says

North Korea has reportedly stolen cryptocurrency to fund its nuclear weapons program. (Coindesk)

JAKARTA - The United Nations (UN) has accused North Korea of stealing cryptocurrencies to fund nuclear weapons projects. According to a UN report, North Korea's cyber team has stolen tens of trillions of rupiah in cryptocurrencies.

Reporting from the BBC, the UN report states that North Korea's cyber forces from 2020 to mid-2021 were able to steal the digital assets worth 50 million US dollars or equivalent to Rp720 billion. The findings were then reported to the UN sanctions committee on Friday, February 4.

Furthermore, the UN also cited a report from Chainalysis, a security research institute based in the United States, which said the North Koreans had stolen US$400 million in cryptocurrencies, equivalent to Rp. 5.7 trillion in 2021.

Not only that, the United Nations also reported the theft of crypto money by the country led by President Kim Jong Un in 2019. The report stated that North Korea could collect stolen 2 billion US dollars or equivalent to Rp. 28.7 trillion.

North Korea has a mode of using their cyber team to steal crypto money with advanced technology. The loot is then used to finance their weapons of mass destruction program.

UN Bans North Korea from Testing Nuclear Weapons

The UN security council has actually banned the communist country from conducting nuclear weapons tests and launching ballistic missiles. The United Nations has even imposed sanctions on North Korea for the ban.

Despite the ban, North Korea is still developing its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. North Korea is suspected of collecting the proceeds of the theft of crypto money to fund the program.

According to reports last Friday, the United States said that North Korea, known formally as the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK), had conducted nine missile tests in a month.