Slashdot Mirror
North Korea Is Dodging Sanctions With a Secret Bitcoin Stash (bloomberg.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: North Korea appears to be stepping up efforts to secure bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which could be used to avoid trade restrictions including new sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council. Hackers from Kim Jong Un's regime are increasing their attacks on cryptocurrency exchanges in South Korea and related sites, according to a new report from security researcher FireEye Inc. They also breached an English-language bitcoin news website and collected bitcoin ransom payments from global victims of the malware WannaCry, according to the researcher. Kim's apparent interest in cryptocurrencies comes amid rising prices and popularity. The same factors that have driven their success -- lack of state control and secretiveness -- would make them useful fund raising and money laundering tools for a man threatening to use nuclear weapons against the U.S. With tightening sanctions and usage of cryptocurrencies broadening, security experts say North Korea's embrace of digital cash will only increase. The 15-member Security Council on Monday approved sanctions aimed at punishing North Korea for its latest missile and nuclear tests. U.S. officials said the new measures would cut the country's textile exports by 90 percent, restricting its ability to get hard currency.
can't you simply refuse to provide transit to them?
Who is the 'we' and 'you' that your post refers to?
Because Nearly all of North Korea's Internet traffic is routed through China
So the pertinent question would be "can't we simply ask China to refuse to provide transit to them?" to which the answer would be 'yes', but in reality China would not cut off their internet access, in the same way they do not cut off their trade, or place any security or border controls on North Korea's northern border with China.
The only problem with the "North Korea is only saber-rattling" thing is that the other side has to recognize that it's only saber-rattling.
Trump.... doesn't. He has a serious "run off at the mouth" problem on Twitter and in other media where he is clearly not thinking things through before he says them.
Which, if he were still just a businessman, or just a Senator or Representative, wouldn't be that bad, really. I mean, how much attention do people pay to all the stupid shit Louie Gohmert says, for example?
But Trump's the President. And a President with a tendency to not think statements through before saying them is.... not good.
Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
>>When Kim launches another ICBM over Japan, is that an act of war and can we respond or not?
I'd say if it happens again it's an act of war. Prove it was intended to miss on purpose. It's not like they pre-file flight plans with us and Japan.