Representatives of South Korea, the United States and Japan met in the capital Seoul to discuss North Korea’s efforts to increase its nuclear capacity.
According to the statement made by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the joint statement of the three representatives stated that the countries must comply with the United Nations (UN) resolution on imposing a ban on North Korean workers.
In the statement, it was noted that North Korean workers support their country’s nuclear and cyber efforts by sending their earnings from their economic activities around the world.
Speaking to the press, South Korean representative Kim Gunn said, “We will ensure that (North Korea’s) provocations do not go unpunished. We will also fight against funding of North Korea’s future provocations.”
“North Korea’s nuclear pragmatism concerns the whole world”
The US representative, Sung Kim, also pointed out that North Korea’s nuclear pragmatism and “cybercrime” concerns the whole world.
Japanese representative Takehiro Funakoshi stated that North Korea’s nuclear activities pose a threat to both the region and beyond.
According to data from the US State Department, there are about 100,000 North Korean workers worldwide, with experts estimating that these workers send around $200 to $500 million annually.
South Korean intelligence, on the other hand, claimed that North Korean hackers have stolen approximately $ 1.2 billion worth of virtual assets in the last 5 years.