North Korea-linked hackers seize $643 million in crypto, 66% of H1 global loss

A report by blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs, cited by VOA, found that North Korean-linked hacking groups stole about $643 million (≈1 trillion won) in cryptocurrency during the first half of 2024. This amount accounts for roughly 66 % of the total global crypto‑hacking loss of $972 million in the same period.

The bulk of the theft came from two decentralized‑finance (DeFi) platform breaches: a $285 million hack of the Drift platform and a $292 million hack of the KelpDAO platform, together representing $577 million of the loss. Although the share of global losses attributed to North Korean actors rose sharply, the absolute amount fell compared with the same period last year, which saw $1.7 billion taken. The report says the decline reflects fewer mega‑scale hacks rather than a loss of capability, and notes that other illicit earnings such as phishing and fraudulent schemes are not included, so the true revenue could be higher.