Three South Koreans Sentenced for Working With North Korean Hackers

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced three South Korean men who developed and distributed illegal gambling sites together with North Korean hackers to prison terms. The court announced its ruling on Thursday, November 12. One sentence was set at four years, and the other two were three years each. The defendant surnamed Kim, who is alleged to be the ringleader of the scheme, had previously been sentenced to five years.

According to South Korean media reports, the network earned about 23.5 billion won (17.6 million dollars) between 2022 and 2024 from 16 illegal gambling sites it sold to operators in South Korea. More than 7 billion won (5.2 million dollars), roughly 30 percent of the revenue, was transferred to North Korean hackers who developed and maintained the platforms. Investigators argue that the developers were linked to North Korea's General Bureau 313 and the Reconnaissance General Bureau.

Kim is reported to have contacted North Korean developers operating from China and ordered software from them. The orders included a mobile version of the slot game Sea Story, also known as Bada Iyagi. The agreement reportedly covered not only building the sites but also ongoing maintenance, technical support and security management. The two other defendants are said to have marketed the new software to potential customers via X and Telegram, emphasizing the low setup cost in their sales pitches.

According to prosecutors, Kim exchanged more than 1,100 messages with the developers via Telegram and other communication channels. Most of these messages were reportedly about technical problems and requests for help. Kim's younger brother, who was also a defendant, said he did not know the developers were of North Korean origin. Prosecutors refuted this defense based on the language the defendant used in his communications.