The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced on Thursday that North Korean-backed hackers stole more than $400 million using a “highly effective electronic fraud method” based on impersonation and fake video calls using artificial intelligence, according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.
Earlier this month, the office accused hackers linked to North Korea of stealing six billion dollars from the cryptocurrency platform Binance, charges that Pyongyang denies.
"The North Korean regime relies on proceeds from widespread theft of cryptocurrencies to fund its illicit weapons program, after stealing billions of dollars in recent years," said Brett Leatherman, director of operations in the office's cybercrime division.
The office explained that, apart from the Binance hack, North Korean hackers are “intensively targeting individuals in the cryptocurrency sector and Web 3 technologies, using deception methods based on psychological manipulation.”
This fraudulent operation, which the office called “FaceStealer,” led to the theft of more than $400 million over the past eighteen months.
In this process, hackers impersonate people known to victims to lure them into video meetings, using deepfake clips supported by artificial intelligence to gain their trust.
Then the hackers create a “fake technical malfunction” that prompts the victim to click on a link or message that appears on the screen, which leads to installing malware on his device.
By exploiting victims' contact lists, social media accounts, and messaging apps, hackers are able to impersonate their identities to lure new victims.
Patrick Grande, assistant director of the FBI's Los Angeles office, said: "Face Stealer is an extremely effective electronic fraud method, capable of deceiving even the most experienced computer users and those aware of security risks."
He added: “This method exploits our trust in widespread video conferencing platforms and in our important personal relationships. “If you can’t imagine a scenario in which you might fall victim, it means you aren’t thinking about the possibilities enough.”
The FBI announced that it had confiscated more than 900 video recordings taken via web cameras of victims of the “Face Stealer” operation.
North Korea has made amendments to its constitution that include four major changes, the most notable of which are consolidating its hard-line stance toward South Korea and strengthening leader Kim Jong-un's authority over the country's nuclear forces.
The constitutional document reappeared after an absence of two and a half years, and any commitments to seek reunification with South Korea were deleted from it.
Edward Howell, author of "A New Axis of Disruption: North Korea, Russia, China and Iran," told Newsweek magazine on Thursday that the constitutional amendment reflects what has been known for the past three years, which is that North Korea no longer wants to establish any connection with South Korea.
What changed in North Korea's constitution?
North Korea's constitution has remained offline since March 2024, months after Kim declared, during a general party meeting in late 2023, that the two Koreas were separate countries hostile to each other.
According to the South Korean newspaper Korea JoongAng Daily, the document was amended during the first session of the fifteenth session of the Supreme People's Assembly, which was held on March 23.
The newspaper reported that the new constitution is consistent with an amended version obtained by the South Korean Ministry of Unification earlier this year.
The revised document was published online on Wednesday on the Naenara propaganda website, and included four major changes:
1. Redefining the territory of North Korea
Article II of the Constitution was amended to define North Korea's territory as the territory bordered by China and Russia to the north, and South Korea to the south, along with its airspace and waters.
The constitution also stipulates that South Korea is an independent state, without defining clear land or sea borders between the two countries.
The South Korean news site Asiae.kr stated that this wording may represent an attempt to maintain the “two-state” approach, while avoiding the use of phrases that explicitly express hostility or define maritime borders.
Howell, a lecturer and researcher at the British University of Oxford, said: “Pyongyang no longer views Seoul as part of a single, albeit divided, Korean peninsula, and Kim Jong Un’s regime makes clear that South Korea has now become a major and permanent enemy.”
2. Abolishing the idea of reunification
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, with progressive and leftist tendencies, has sought to reduce tensions since taking office last year, stressing his rejection of any forced or “assimilation”-based unification process.
In August of this year, he also called for negotiations aimed at establishing a “peace regime” to replace the armistice agreement that stopped the Korean War in 1953, without officially ending it.
However, the North Korean leader did not adopt this rhetoric, as he stated during the party congress in February that North Korea “has absolutely no business dealing with South Korea.”
During a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly in January 2024, Kim had issued orders to delete constitutional references describing North Korea as the "northern half" of Korea.
The amended constitution reflects this trend, as phrases such as “peaceful unification” and “national unity” were deleted from it.
Howell noted that shortly after Lee came to power in 2025, Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un's sister, was quick to denounce Seoul's efforts toward reconciliation, describing them as "appeasement attacks."
Howell said: “The constitutional amendment is nothing more than a confirmation of this trend. “Pyongyang wants to send a clear signal to Seoul that North Korea does not care about the current South Korean government’s desire to mend relations.”
3. Strengthening Kim Jong-un’s powers
The English-language website NK News reported that the amended constitution gives Kim the power to veto parliamentary decisions and remove lawmakers who lose “the trust of the people.”
The website added that the preamble to the constitution reduced the focus on the two former leaders, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, in a move consistent with enhancing the “sanctification of the personality” surrounding Kim Jong Un.
4. Expanding Kim's authority over nuclear forces
In addition to consolidating Kim's role in political life, the amended text gives him, as head of the State Affairs Committee, broader powers related to nuclear forces.
This step comes amid mounting concerns about Pyongyang's nuclear program, following its testing this year of ballistic missile systems and others capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
These tests included testing a medium-range strategic missile, linked to the hypersonic weapons program, on October 3.
In early November, China conducted major military exercises without prior announcement in the Western Pacific and around Taiwan, in what officials in Taipei described as a “silent intimidation” campaign aimed at pressuring the island and other governments before major international meetings, according to what was reported by the “Reuters” news agency.
A senior Taiwanese security official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said that the Chinese army and coast guard at one point deployed more than 100 ships in the region early this month, and conducted exercises that included simulated attacks on armies and cities, including Taiwan.
The official added that this naval deployment was larger than “Mission Justice 2025,” which is the last exercise officially given by China, which targeted Taiwan about a year ago, and is considered one of the largest Chinese naval deployments to date.
The exercises were held as China escalated its military pressure over the past five years, drawing condemnations from Taipei and increasing concern in Western capitals about the potential for conflict. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory.
Yesterday, Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered an important political speech on Taiwan, in which he urged peaceful “reunification” and did not mention the use of force.
The Taiwanese official said that during the latest exercises, a Chinese submarine launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Yellow Sea towards the Chinese mainland.
He added: “This is a silent maneuver - in fact, it is silent intimidation.”
Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Kuo said this week that China was conducting “area denial” exercises in the western Pacific Ocean involving an aircraft carrier and other naval formations.
Beijing will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Summit in Shenzhen next week, where US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet for the third time this year. Taiwan is also participating in the summit.
A foreign intelligence source said that the “silent, nameless exercises” appear to be intentional, given that China has not issued a public announcement about them, allowing Beijing to exert military pressure while avoiding a violent diplomatic reaction.
The source added to Reuters that China usually conducts its exercises in the second half of the year, when the weather is calmer.
