South Korean police have opened an investigation after detecting signs that a North Korean information technology worker gained employment at a local private company under a false identity.
According to materials submitted by the National Police Agency to People Power Party lawmaker Kim Dae-sik on the 22nd, the agency's National Security Investigation Bureau identified one such case on its own last year and is investigating suspicions that North Korean IT workers obtained jobs by disguising their identities or stealing others' personal information.
It is the first known case of a North Korean IT worker being hired in South Korea under a false identity. The worker was recruited by a local private company and carried out actual development work, according to the materials.
In July, 11 countries including South Korea, the United States and Japan issued a joint advisory warning against the hiring of North Korean IT workers under false identities. The advisory said North Korean IT workers are seeking contracts in a range of fields, including web page, application and software development, and that entering into contracts with them could violate domestic laws in those countries.
Police are examining the amount of money paid to the worker and how it was transferred, as well as the possibility of links to an organized network.