Reuters: North Korea Establishes Systematic Hacker Training Program, Related Military Cyber Units Can Receive Up to 30% of Attack Proceeds

on November 6, according to Reuters, North Korea has established a hacker force through a state-supported talent cultivation program, selecting approximately 150 to 200 middle school students each year for computer education, with some eventually joining military cyber departments. The report stated that outstanding hackers can receive benefits such as housing in Pyongyang and foreign currency rewards, and relevant military cyber units can obtain up to 30% of the attack proceeds.

In addition, the report pointed out that North Korean cyber personnel extensively use AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude Code to assist with programming and identity spoofing. South Korean intelligence previously estimated that the scale of North Korea's cyber warfare-related personnel is approximately 8,400.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Binance attributed a previous Binance hack involving $6.3 billion to North Korea, while the North Korean side denied the allegations.