Reported by Simon Sharwood

If you dine out at an Asian restaurant on your next holiday, the United Nations thinks your meal could help North Korea to launder money.

That bitter tidbit is detailed by the United Nations Panel of Experts dedicated to assessing the Security Council’s sanctions against The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, aka North Korea) in its annual report [PDF].

The report finds that North-Korea-run eateries can be found in China, Laos, Thailand, and Russia. Not all offer Korean food – some specialize in Japanese or other cuisines. China alone houses 65 such restaurants.

Some of the eateries are clearly staffed by North Koreans, whose lousy Mandarin is a giveaway in China. Others have only a couple of North Koreans on staff. Few of the DPRK citizens in the food trade have the correct visa – or a visa at all.

We mention the restaurants because the UN reckons they collectively help the DPRK to launder $700 million a year. Much of the rest of the report details where that cash comes from: the many crypto heists and freelance tech workers who funnel their wages home to Pyongyang, maybe after first using the privileged access they gain working on your systems to do nasty things.

Read full report: https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/25/un_north_korea_report/?td=keepreading