A U.S. intergovernmental commission claims North Korea exploits global connectivity to skirt sanctions and sustain its regime.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held an online hearing on Wednesday to share opinions on a report submitted by the Cyberspace Solarium Commission(CSC) in March. 

In a written statement to the committee, CSC co-chairpersons Senator Angus King and Representative Mike Gallagher argued that North Korean cyber operations earn two billion dollars in illicit funds for the regime each year. They also claimed that the 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack, attributed to North Korea, impacted about 150 countries. 

King called for measures to be taken, arguing that even small countries like North Korea can cause great damage in cyberspace.

Created by the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, the CSC is an intergovernmental body tasked with crafting strategies to protect U.S. interests in cyberspace. The committee currently has 14 commissioners, including lawmakers, senior executive agency leaders and nationally recognized experts.

[Photo : YONHAP News]