FBI targets North Korean crypto launderer in international probe

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has declared Sim Hyon-sop, an alleged cryptocurrency launderer for North Korea, wanted. United States investigators claimed that for years, he has moved money for the Kim Jong-un regime, laundering stolen cryptocurrency across borders and purchasing items on behalf of the country.

The FBI has announced a $7 million bounty on Hyon-sop, noting that he has been playing a central role in laundering the digital assets stolen by North Korean IT workers and hackers, exchanging them for cash and using them to purchase goods beneficial to the Pyongyang regime.

FBI declares North Korean launderer wanted

According to the FBI, Sim is among the North Korean bankers operating outside the country, with the federal agency highlighting that he has been operating in the Middle East under aliases such as Sim Ali or Sim Hajim. He graduated from one of the most elite universities in the country and is known to be fluent in English and Chinese. At some point, he was sent overseas as the head of a subsidiary of North Korea’s Foreign Trade Bank before working in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Ryu Hyun-woo, a former acting chargé d’affaires at the North Korean Embassy in Kuwait, mentioned that he met Sim more than ten times while working in the country. Ryu, who defected in 2019, mentioned that SIM would usually pick him up in a Toyota Land Cruiser, and they would frequently dine with other North Korean operatives. He also added that Sim once described how he launders money, including how he moved it between countries.

The defector added that Sim highlighted other parts of his operations, including how he used shell companies for his benefit and paid brokers to obscure the sources of the funds. Ryu added that many North Koreans worked in the UAE as computer programmers while others stole digital assets on the side, noting that someone had to handle the funds that they got from their operations. Profits earned were sent to Sim in crypto, before being moved through several wallets to obscure the origins.

The report mentioned that once the origins are obscured, SIM then transfers the funds to brokers in the UAE or China. The brokers then convert the digital assets into cash and deposit them into bank accounts opened in the names of the shell companies. Sim then uses the funds to purchase goods for the North Korean regime, a move that they believe would help them evade international sanctions by ensuring cash is not moved directly into bank accounts owned by North Korea.

$7 million reward for information leading to Sim’s arrest

The items Sim allegedly purchased for the country included raw materials used to produce counterfeit cigarettes bearing brands like Marlboro, communications equipment, and even helicopters. Sim is believed to have lived a lavish lifestyle with his cut from the illicit proceeds. However, the illicit funds attracted scrutiny when they passed through the payment systems of major United States banks like Citibank and JPMorgan Chase, and European banks like HSBC.

Reports claimed that in one of his schemes, Sim used United States banks to allegedly process more than 310 transactions worth $74 million for North Korea. The UAE revoked Sim’s residency visa in 2019 in line with UN sanctions against North Korea, even though his departure was delayed by three years due to the pandemic. The FBI has since promised $7 million for information leading to Sim’s arrest.

SIM is wanted on charges including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, money laundering, and evasion of sanctions against North Korea. His whereabouts remain unknown, but the Treasury Department believes that he traveled to Dandong, a Chinese border city, after being expelled from the UAE, although it has not been confirmed. “China is unaware of Sim’s activities and is opposed to what it sees as unilateral U.S. Treasury sanctions,” Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said.

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