North Korean IT Workers: The Sinister Side Hustle Funding Kim’s Arsenal
North Korea’s IT workers, the world’s most persistent job applicants, are hilariously adept at job hunting. Armed with fake identities and spreadsheets, they infiltrate Fortune 500 companies while enjoying steak dinners. Their meticulous record-keeping of job applications funds North Korea’s weapons programs, proving even in chaos, there’s always room for a tidy spreadsheet.

Hot Take:
In the grand theater of global job markets, it seems even the Hermit Kingdom can’t resist a little tech hustle. Just picture it: North Korean IT workers moonlighting as digital ninjas, sneaking into freelance gigs, all while Kim Jong Un plays the ultimate game of Monopoly with the world’s job boards. Who knew that a nation synonymous with isolation would be so connected—digitally, at least? The audacity is almost admirable, if it weren’t for the pesky nuclear weapons funding bit.
Key Points:
- North Korean IT workers are reportedly securing remote work abroad to fund the regime’s nuclear ambitions.
- A cybersecurity researcher named SttyK has uncovered a treasure trove of data revealing their operations.
- The IT workers use fake identities and meticulous documentation to manage and track their job applications.
- The data shows their reliance on US-based tech services like Google, Slack, and GitHub.
- The IT workers enjoy more liberties than typical North Koreans, despite sending most earnings back home.