Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom, and United States

We, the participating states of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), released today a report on the DPRK’s cyber and information technology (IT) worker activities furthering violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). This multilateral mechanism was established in October 2024 to monitor and report on the implementation of UN sanctions measures on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The report is available on the official MSMT website (https://msmt.info).

The report details the deep connections between UN-sanctioned DPRK entities and the DPRK’s cyber activities, including cryptocurrency theft, fraudulent IT work, and cyber espionage. The report consolidates information provided by MSMT participating states and the private sector on violations and evasions of sanction measures stipulated in relevant UNSCRs. The DPRK exploits private industry, private citizens, and dozens of countries in order to steal and fraudulently obtain billions of dollars for its unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs. UN-designated DPRK entities, including the Reconnaissance General Bureau, carry out the majority of these activities in violation of the asset freeze set out in UNSCR 1718.

The information in this report is published by the MSMT in order to provide UN Member States with information to protect their governments, private businesses, and private citizens from DPRK cyber actors and IT workers’ exploitation. MSMT participating states encourage all efforts to hold parties accountable for UNSCR violations, including through sanctions.

This report is a product of our efforts to address the monitoring gap arising from the disbandment of the UN Security Council’s 1718 Committee Panel of Experts in April 2024 which was caused by Russia’s veto in March 2024. The report will assist with the full implementation of UN sanctions by the international community. We urge the Security Council to reestablish the Panel of Experts in the same strength and structure it had prior to its disbandment.

With the release of this MSMT report, we underscore once again our shared determination to fully implement relevant UNSCRs. We urge the DPRK to engage in meaningful diplomacy, and we call on all states to join global efforts to maintain international peace and security in the face of ongoing threats from the DPRK and those that facilitate its illicit activities in contravention of relevant UNSCRs.

We will continue our efforts to monitor the implementation of UNSCRs on the DPRK and raise awareness of ongoing attempts to violate and evade UN sanctions.