The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement today. cryptocurrency Blender platform, which provides mixing service, was added to the sanctions list on the grounds that it was used by North Korea for cybercrime and money laundering purposes.
The US accused North Korea of stealing cryptocurrencies and laundering them with the Blender.io platform. As it is known, several North Korean groups have recently stolen crypto money by hacking various crypto platforms.
More worrying news is the US claims that Pyongyang is using the stolen funds to advance its nuclear program. According to recent reports, the country continues to test its nuclear capability, escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula.
US Treasury Adds Blender to SDN List
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) announced today that Blender has been added to its Specially Designated Citizens and Blocked Persons List (SDN).
The Treasury Department has claimed that the North Korean-linked cryptocurrency mixing service Blender.io is being used by North Korea to hide illegal cryptocurrency transactions.
Brian E. Nelson, Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said:
“Cryptocurrency mixing platforms that mediate illegal transactions pose a threat to US national security interests. We are taking action against North Korea’s illegal financial activities, and the activities of state-sponsored theft and those who provide it with money laundering will not go unanswered.”
Recently, the US Treasury Department added the North Korean hacking group Lazarus to its SDN list for allegedly stealing $625 million in the Ronin attack. It is thought that the mixing platform called Tornado Cash used by the Lazarus group may be the next name to be added to the SDN list.
*Not investment advice.