{
  "id": 18456846,
  "title": "North Korea's army of world-class hackers is secret weapon that took down Binance",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/north-koreas-army-of-world-class-hackers-is-secret-weapon-that-took-18456846",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-11-06T07:02:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/international/article-914038"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nThese 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.\n\nDespite 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.",
  "summary": "\"There is no other country grooming hackers like this, systematically searching for the smartest children, solely to turn them into operatives,\" North Korean defector Kim Heung-kwang said.",
  "key_points": [
    "North Korea invests in elite hacker group since middle school",
    "Kim Jong Un designates cyber warfare as crucial strike capability",
    "$6.3B Binance heist attributed to North Korean hackers"
  ],
  "editors_take": "By cultivating elite talent from middle school through specialized military training, North Korea has transformed cyber warfare into a state-sponsored pillar of its national strike capability and economic strategy.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Investing.com",
        "title": "North Korea’s army of world-class hackers is secret weapon that took down Binance",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/north-koreas-army-of-world-class-hackers-is-secret-weapon-that-took",
        "published": "2026-11-06T05:48:56.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Moneyweb",
        "title": "Hackers paid $15 to drain $2.5bn from Binance in one hit",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/hackers-paid-15-to-drain-2-5bn-from-binance-in-one-hit",
        "published": "2026-11-06T07:00:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CNA - Business",
        "title": "North Korea's army of world-class hackers is secret weapon that took down Binance",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/north-koreas-army-of-world-class-hackers-is-secret-weapon-that-took-18460539",
        "published": "2026-11-06T07:17:57.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}