Two Taiwanese indicted in U.S. for backing N. Korea's weapons program

Washington, June 30 (CNA) Two Taiwanese nationals were among a group of suspects indicted in Boston on Monday in connection with an alleged scheme to generate revenue for North Korea's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, according to U.S. prosecutors.

The two Taiwanese suspects, identified as Liu Meng-ting and Liu En-chia, were among nine suspects indicted in the scheme that raised at least US$5 million in revenue for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), United States Attorney Leah Foley's office said.

Aside from the two Taiwanese, there were six Chinese nationals and one American who were indicted in the case.

The statement from Foley's office did not detail whether the suspects were being detained.

According to court documents, the DPRK government has dispatched thousands of skilled IT workers around the world in response to U.S. and United Nations sanctions to steal the identities of U.S. persons and pose as American workers to obtain remote IT jobs and generate revenue for DPRK weapons of mass destruction WMD programs.

Between 2021 and October 2024, those indicted in connection with the scheme transmitted fake and misleading information to dozens of U.S. companies, financial institutions and government agencies.

The IT workers employed also gained access to sensitive employer data and source codes, including International Traffic in Arms Regulations data from a California-based defense contractor that develops artificial intelligence-powered equipment and technologies.

In doing so, the suspects and their co-conspirators compromised the identities of over 80 U.S. citizens, and fraudulently obtained remote jobs at over 100 American companies, including several Fortune 500 companies and a defense contractor, according to Foley's office.

They also accessed internal information from these companies, and generated US$5 million in revenue, the office said.

"The threat posed by DPRK operatives is both real and immediate. Thousands of North Korean cyber operatives have been trained and deployed by the regime to blend into the global digital workforce and systematically target U.S. companies," Foley was quoted as saying in the statement.

"We will continue to work relentlessly to protect U.S. businesses and ensure they are not inadvertently fueling the DPRK's unlawful and dangerous ambitions."