- In a Fortune interview facilitated by a Seoul, South Korea NGO that supports North Korean defectors, “Mr. Kim Ji-min” describes his experience as a software developer inside North Korea’s IT worker scheme. Kim uses an alias to protect the lives of his friends and family who could be in danger from the regime because he spoke to Western media about his time as a developer. His remarks offer a rare glimpse into the way North Korea has weaponized the global remote-work economy to fund its nuclear program.
For years, Kim Ji-min served as an IT worker inside a vast global scheme devised by North Korea’s authoritarian leadership to evade crushing financial sanctions. Kim has since defected to South Korea. Now, he is sharing his experience as a cog in the IT worker conspiracy employed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to amass billions to fund its weapons of mass destruction program.
