Exclusive: "Most Dangerous Organization in North Korea"... Interview with U.S. Expert Investigator

[Anchor]

The fallout is growing over the incident in which North Korean hacker organization "Trader Traitor" allegedly stole approximately 8 trillion won in funds from the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. We conducted an exclusive interview with the U.S. analytical agency investigator who was the first to point the finger at North Korea as the mastermind behind the incident. The investigator warned that this group comprises the most dangerous hackers possessed by North Korea and that their next targets will likely be South Korean exchanges.

First, exclusive reporting by Reporter Hong Yeongjae.

[Reporter]

U.S. analytics firm TRM Labs identified North Korea as the culprit just six hours after the Binance hacking.

The North Korea expert investigator who led this analysis agreed to a video interview with SBS.

Investigator Carlson, who worked at the FBI for 12 years, stated that "Trader Traitor," which committed this act, is the most dangerous hacking organization in North Korea.

[Nick Carlson / North Korea Expert Investigator, TRM Labs: "Trader Traitor" is North Korea's elite hacking organization. (Are they more dangerous than other groups within "Kimsuky" or "Lazarus"?) Absolutely. They are the organization at the top of the pyramid, by far the most dangerous hacking unit. They have carried out the most audacious financial asset thefts.]

He analyzed that because North Korean hacking organizations have no fear of being arrested, they left behind their own distinct characteristics in various places this time as well.

[Nick Carlson / North Korea Expert Investigator, TRM Labs: Basically, they conducted several test transactions for the hacking. Furthermore, we identified much older activities linked to these transactions. The traces date back to 2020.]

He also mentioned that while there is more definitive evidence, it is difficult to disclose further details because North Korea could use them to evade detection.

[Nick Carlson / North Korea Expert Investigator, TRM Labs: We have secured multiple pieces of evidence confirming that Trader Traitor executed this hacking. However, I do not want to explain in too much detail. This is because I do not want to teach North Korean hackers how to avoid detection.]

At the same time, he warned that South Korean exchanges could become the next targets of attack.

[Nick Carlson / North Korea Expert Investigator, TRM Labs: All exchanges can be targets, but I think South Korean exchanges in particular are major targets.]

Investigator Carlson added that unless South Korea, the U.S., and Japan step up to introduce more active countermeasures, this problem will continue to grow.

(Video by Lee Chan-su | Video Editing by Seeun | VJ: Lee Ji-hwan)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.