Let’s imagine Kim Jong Un not as a dictator, but as a mob boss operating a shadow syndicate that happens to run a nuclear state. In this little thought experiment, you’d ask: when your leader hacks, kidnaps money, and brainwashes loyalty, is he a villain, or just a survivor?
Below are five of his most audacious money-making schemes, plus the twisted spin on how he “elevates” women to worship him as quasi-divine.
1. The Bybit Crypto Heist:
In February 2025, a $1.5 billion crypto heist against Dubai’s Bybit exchange was traced to Lazarus/TraderTraitor actors widely believed to be tied to North Korea. That’s not small change. This move reads like a CEO ordering a bank robbery from his boardroom.
2. Serial Crypto Thefts & Laundering
Over the years, North Korean hackers have stolen billions in virtual assets from exchanges like Ronin, KuCoin, and others, then laundered funds through mixers, shell wallets, cross-chain bridges, and proxy services.
3. Bangladesh Bank SWIFT hack
Back in 2016, hackers linked to North Korea siphoned $81 million from Bangladesh’s central bank account via SWIFT network manipulation. That was one of the early signature “state-as-thief” maneuvers.
4. WannaCry Ransomware Rampage
In 2017, the WannaCry malware attack crippled hospitals, universities, and corporations. It demanded bitcoin ransoms while diverting attention toward chaos, like a mob boss lighting fires to rob more safely.
5. IT Worker Fraud / Identity Schemes
North Korea reportedly sends operatives abroad posing as remote tech workers using stolen identities; those earnings then feed back into regime coffers through shell firms and intermediaries.
Kim’s scams, state propaganda and cult of personality turn men, women, and society at large, into cheer squads for his deification. From school curricula to murals, every citizen is drilled in reverence of their Dear Leader.
