North Korea’s Cybercrimes Pay for Weapons Programs and Undermine Sanctions
The Heritage FoundationDec 10, 2023
US, Japan, SKorea Step Up Actions on NKorea Cyber Threats
The Facts
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has said that the US, Japan, and South Korea have agreed to coordinate efforts and launch new trilateral initiatives to counter North Korea's threats in cyberspace, economic coercion, and space launches.
This follows the first meeting of the trilateral diplomatic cybersecurity working group established during the Camp David summit — between Pres. Joe Biden, South Korean Pres. Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japanese Prime Miniter Fumio Kishida in August — to counter Pyongyang's cyber operations.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
As North Korea's cyber operations pose a significant threat to international security and stability either through cyber warfare or cybercrime-funded nuclear weapons and missiles, it's a matter of urgency for the US and its allies to ramp up their cyber defenses and energetically respond to its cyberattacks. Otherwise, Pyongyang will continue to evade international sanctions.
Establishment-critical narrative
While it has yet to be seen how the reclusive North Korean regime will respond to the announced efforts to address its military activities and alleged cybercrimes, this so-called new initiative isn't new at all. The meeting has merely reaffirmed a longstanding commitment to strong deterrence toward Pyongyang — an unbalanced move likely to have a limited effect as there's no openness for dialogue.
Nerd narrative
There's a 15% chance that there will be a full-scale war between North Korea and South Korea by 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.