DPRK ranked third among bitcoin holders

North Korea has suddenly moved to the third place in the number of bitcoin holders, after the US and UK governments.

The reason for such a sharp jump was the theft of cryptocurrency by North Korean hackers. This is reported by The Times.

Thus, the largest cyber hacker organization of the DPRK, Lazarus, holds a total of 13,580 bitcoins worth £886 million.

And last month they stole more than £1.2 billion in Ethereum.

Then cryptocurrency exchange Bybit was attacked. This is the largest known theft of any kind.

Lazarus money is a lifeline for Kim Jong-un and a source of funds for his weapons of mass destruction.

According to the UN, North Korea funds up to 40% of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs with illicit cyber funds.