NewsBTC Apr 7, 12:19 PM
Crypto Trust Crisis — The “Kim Jong‑Un Test” Is Exposing Secret North Korean Moles Amidst yet another big hack attributed to North Korea-linked operatives, some crypto builders have confessed they are passing tests during interviews to developers to make sure they are not North Korean agents. The Fool-Proof “Kim Jong‑Un Test” For Crypto Developers Once again, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is responsible for some action movie-sounding moves. Following the attribution of the April 1st $285 million attack on Drift Protocol to UNC4736, a North Korea–aligned, state‑sponsored hacking group, multiple crypto industry actors have taken to the social network X to share their fears and methods to combat what essentially are DPRK secret agents. All details on the long‑term social engineering, fake professional personas, in‑person conference meetings and compromised tooling employed in the attack can be consulted on a yesterday’s article in our sister’s website Bitcoinist. Unbelievable and hilarious as it may sound, the most straightforward strategy some of these builders have found is asking candidates to explicitly insult Kim Jong-Un, North Korea’s regime head, during interviews. Related Reading: This Bitcoin Trader Lost Millions In 2 Weeks, Here’s How Crypto Builders Share Proof Yesterday, Tanuki42, an independent blockchain security investigator, shared an actual video of a “North Korean IT worker being stopped dead in their tracks upon being required to insult Kim Jong Un”. In the video, “Taro Aikuchi” wasn’t just unable to repeat after the interviewer that “Kim Jong-Un is a fat, ugly pig”: he was taken aback and visibly nervous. Here is a video of a North Korean IT worker being stopped dead in their tracks upon being required to insult Kim Jong Un. It won’t work forever, but right now it’s genuinely an effective filter. I’m yet to come across one who can say it. https://t.co/8FFVPxNm8X pic.twitter.com/KXI5efMo5L — tanuki42 (@tanuki42_) April 6, 2026 In a different video shared by the security investigator, “Taro” tells him amusingly that he “knows North Korea well”, but then experiences very convenient connection issues when is asked to say “Fuck Kim Jong-Un”. The clip I posted was actually round 2. Here’s round 1 – I tell Taro I’m a North Korea security researcher, he tells me he “knows North Korea well”. Mysterious connection issues when I say “Fuck Kim Jong Un”, which he apologises for on reconnecting.😅 pic.twitter.com/M89KDDmASW — tanuki42 (@tanuki42_) April 6, 2026 Later on the thread, Tanuki42 showed the candidate changed his Telegram handle, wiped their chat and blocked him after the interview. 🚨@taroaikuchi just changed his Telegram handle @cryptotrading2150->@cryptodegen202 – he’d already wiped our chat and blocked me 😭 pic.twitter.com/EcQedYyGG7 — tanuki42 (@tanuki42_) April 6, 2026 His X account and LinkedIn page also disappeared. Crypto investor and fund manager Jason Choi quoted Tanuki42’s thread to echo the message, claiming that a lot of crypto founders have shared with him that this test works. Se