North Korea's army of world-class hackers is secret weapon that took down Binance

For over a decade, North Korea has invested in an elite group of hackers, identifying and nurturing the most gifted middle school students each year to study computer engineering. These young prodigies are selected from a pool of 150 to 200 candidates annually, with the brightest eventually entering the country's military cyber unit. Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, has designated cyber warfare as a crucial component of the regime's strike capability, alongside nuclear weapons and missiles.

These hackers undergo rigorous training in areas such as cryptocurrency protocols, reverse-engineering foreign hardware devices, and advanced mathematics, among other subjects. While a select few are deployed as hackers, the majority are trained to develop software or apps for Western firms. Those who gain prominence within the group may receive luxurious accommodations in Pyongyang, high-status marriages, and membership in the ruling party.

Despite the FBI and Binance attributing the recent $6.3 billion crypto heist to North Korea, Pyongyang has consistently denied involvement. The hackers are reportedly rewarded with spacious apartments, hard currency, and other perks for their efforts. According to Kim Heung-kwang, a former North Korean defector who trained hackers on behalf of the state, the selection process begins in middle school and continues through university, culminating in a small group of about 8,400 individuals currently employed in North Korean cyberwarfare operations.