[Translation] North Korea is reported to fund its nuclear program through cryptocurrency

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Priscilla Moriuchi, a former employee of the United States National Security Agency, recently alleged that the North Korean government is funding its nuclear program through the use of cryptocurrency.

According to Moriuchi, who now works for the cyber threat intelligence company Recorded Future, the North Korean government is believed to have accumulated about 11,000 bitcoins in 2017. The cyber expert Moriuchi further notes that if North Korea had sold Bitcoin at its peak price last year, the government would have garnered around $200 million in funds.

Furthermore, in an interview with Radio Free Asia, Moriuchi revealed that the North Korean government is believed to have obtained the aforementioned Bitcoin through mining or hacking. She points out that the profits from cryptocurrency transactions obtained by the country last year are being used as a means to evade international sanctions. Moriuchi is firmly convinced that North Korea, under strict international sanctions, is secretly funding its nuclear program using the cryptocurrency market.

Priscilla Moriuchi spoke to Vox.com as follows.