‘This is the mafia’ — How North Korea structures its IT workers like an organized crime syndicate

Quick Summary:

The North Korean IT workers scheme rakes in $250 million to $600 million per year and billions in crypto, according to UN estimates.

The report states that the pressures on workers to generate revenues has given rise to side hustles, which are allowed as long as they continue to increase their earnings.

Cyber investigators call it a “bro network,” and have found chats between workers who lean on old school friends to find out how to make more money, explained Barhart.

---

More Pictures

---

Read Quick SummarySave Time

or

Article Details

Author / Journalist: Amanda Gerut

Category: EconomyBusiness

Markets: United StatesNorth Korea

Topics: Fraud Remote work Fortune 500 Companies A.I. Kim Jong-un

Source Website Secure: Yes (HTTPS)

News Sentiment: Neutral

Fact Checked: Legitimate

Article Type: News Report

Published On: 2025-05-18 @ 13:11:00 (16 hours ago)

News Timezone: GMT +8:00

News Source URL: fortune.com

Language: English

Article Length: 1104 words

Reading Time: 7 minutes read

Sentences: 4 lines

Sentence Length: 276 words per sentence (average)

Platforms: Desktop Web, Mobile Web, iOS App, Android App

Copyright Owner: © Fortune

News ID: 28782945

View Article Analysis

About Fortune

Main Topics: EconomyBusiness

Official Website: fortune.com

Update Frequency: 11 posts per day

Year Established: 1929

Headquarters: United States

News Last Updated: 10 hours ago

Coverage Areas: United States

Ownership: Independent Company

Publication Timezone: GMT +8:00

Content Availability: Worldwide

News Language: English

RSS Feed: Available (XML)

API Access: Available (JSON, REST)

Website Security: Secure (HTTPS)

Publisher ID: #95

Publisher Details

Frequently Asked Questions