The United States, Japan and South Korea discussed the theft of cryptocurrency by North Korean hackers at the trilateral meeting

The White House announced late Friday that national security officials from the U.S., South Korean and Japanese governments discussed North Korea's cryptocurrency theft and other developments related to North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. A White House press release said U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, South Korean National Security Adviser Cho Tae-Yong and Japanese National Security Adviser Takeo Akiba met in Seoul, South Korea, to discuss a variety of issues, including North Korea and its ongoing weapons of mass destruction programs and cryptocurrency theft. According to the press release, “The National Security Advisor reviewed progress on a broad range of trilateral initiatives, including commitments to consult on regional crises, share ballistic missile defense data, and our joint efforts to address North Korea’s use of cryptocurrencies for its illicit mass destruction Weapons programs provide funding.” North Korea has stolen billions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency from the crypto industry, drawing the attention of various government entities. OFAC, an arm of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, sanctioned multiple coin mixers that North Korean hackers allegedly used to transfer stolen funds. (CoinDesk) Last week, it was reported that the U.S. Treasury Department had initiated sanctions against the cryptocurrency mixing server Sinbad on the grounds that the service supported transactions related to North Korean hacking groups. Sinbad’s website was also blocked by the FBI, the Dutch Financial Intelligence and Investigation Office (FIOD), the Openbaar Ministryie (Dutch Prosecutor’s Office) and the Finnish National Investigation Service.