North Korea recruits 150-200 students yearly for cyber army
North Korea is building a dedicated hacker army, picking 150 to 200 top students each year for intense cyber warfare training.
These recruits start as young as 11 and get perks like luxury apartments, overseas trips, and cash bonuses if they do well.
Once trained, only a small number are placed in military cyber units after further screening and training in cryptocurrency systems, reverse engineering, advanced mathematics, and foreign languages, behind some of the world's biggest cryptocurrency hacks.
North Korea hackers bring revenue, intelligence
North Korea relies on these state-backed hackers to bring in money and gather intelligence.
Experts say cyber operations are a significant means for the regime to generate revenue and intelligence: Kim Jong Un sees digital warfare as just as important as traditional weapons.