The USD Department of Justice seized 280 cryptocurrency accounts confiscating millions in USD that were connected to North Korean hackers.
The DOJ released a statement but did not clarify what were the cryptocurrency accounts, nor where did they exists in the virtual space.
The statement did clarify, however, that the hackers were laundering millions of USD in stolen funds and were linked to Chinese OTC (over the counter) trading platforms.
Briian C. Rabbitt, the acting assistant attorney general of the Department’s Criminal Division, also issued a statement:
“ today’s action publicly exposes the ongoing connections between North Korea’s cyber-hacking program and a Chinese cryptocurrency money laundering network .”
Frankly, I don’t find this connection surprising, China’s close ties to North Korea are not a secret.