The United States has announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the identification and apprehension of three North Korean IT workers and their manager. These individuals, using the aliases Han Jiho, Jun Chunji, and Xu Haoran, along with their manager Zhonghua, have been implicated in a scheme to secure illicit telework employment using false identities of U.S. citizens.
The U.S. State Department revealed that this operation generated at least $6.8 million for the North Korean regime. From October 2020 through October 2023, Christina Chapman, a U.S. national, allegedly facilitated the workers' employment as remote software and applications developers across various sectors and industries. These workers used identities belonging to over 60 real U.S. citizens to obtain these positions.
In a concerning development, the workers attempted, though unsuccessfully, to gain employment at two U.S. government agencies, highlighting the potential national security risks posed by such schemes.
Chapman is accused of assisting the workers by acquiring valid U.S. citizen identities, hosting laptops issued to them to simulate a U.S.-based presence, and aiding their daily remote connections to U.S. company IT networks. Furthermore, she is alleged to have played a key role in laundering the proceeds from the scheme by processing and distributing paychecks from these companies to the workers and other beneficiaries.
The implicated North Korean workers are reportedly linked to the North's Munitions Industry Department, which oversees the development of the regime's ballistic missiles, weapons production, and research and development programs.
This reward is part of the State Department's Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, administered by the Diplomatic Security Service. Since its inception in 1984, the RFJ program has paid over $250 million to more than 125 individuals worldwide for information that has helped prevent terrorism and resolve threats to U.S. national security. Notably, RFJ has previously paid $5 million each to two individuals for information that disrupted an illicit financial scheme benefiting North Korea.
For more information on how to provide tips and qualify for the reward, visit the RFJ program's official website. This announcement underscores the U.S. commitment to safeguarding national security and curbing illicit activities that fund hostile regimes.
**Contact Information:**
U.S. Department of State
Rewards for Justice (RFJ) Program
Website: [RFJ.gov](https://www.rewardsforjustice.net/)
Phone: +1 (800) 877-3927
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