Luxury Apartments and Dollars: How Kim Rewards the Pirate Army

Luxury apartments in Pyongyang, dollar-denominated bonuses, and opportunities to marry into ruling elite families; these are the privileges granted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's regime to its top cyber hackers, according to a Reuters report on a program that begins recruiting talent from childhood.

According to the report, the regime rewards hackers whom Washington accuses of being responsible for hacking the cryptocurrency platform "Binance" and stealing $6.3 billion. Specialized blockchain investigation firms attributed the attack to a North Korean group known as "Trader Traitor," while Pyongyang denied the accusations, describing them as political provocations.

Recruitment from Childhood
The talent selection process begins at age 11 or 12, as authorities annually select approximately 200 of the brightest middle school students to train them in computer engineering. Upon reaching age 17, top performers are sent to the country's most prestigious universities, before a limited number are chosen to join the army unit specialized in cyber operations.

These individuals receive opportunities to travel to allied countries, including China, where they have free access to the internet. Their rewards can reach up to 30% of the proceeds from dollar-based thefts, in addition to luxury apartments measuring 132 square meters, where their parents may also reside. Their successes may open doors to marriage with families of the ruling elite.

South Korean intelligence estimates the number of people working in the neighboring North's cyber warfare system at approximately 8,400.

Artificial Intelligence as a Key Tool
Western experts who interacted remotely with North Korean computer specialists described them as organized, polite, and heavy users of artificial intelligence tools. According to the report, they use paid subscriptions to platforms like "ChatGPT" to write code and forge documents and identities.

The report quoted "Binance" stating that attackers used a fake job interview and malicious software hidden within an advertisement to compromise employee devices.

However, these privileges are matched by harsh conditions; former employees speak of crowded housing, work hours exceeding 10 hours per day, constant surveillance, and intense pressure to meet financial targets, with penalties for failing to achieve required quotas.