▲ This image, captured from the documents provided by Seoul's foreign ministry, shows the updated announcement on advisories against unwitting hiring of North Korean IT workers, issued jointly by South Korea and the United States, on Oct. 19, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

S Korea-US-NK IT workers

S. Korea, U.S. update guidance on preventing unwitting hiring of N. Korean IT workers

SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States have issued an updated version of the joint guidance for the international community on preventing inadvertent recruitment and facilitation of North Korean information technology (IT) workers, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

The advisories, jointly announced by the law enforcement agencies of the two countries, including South Korea's National Intelligence Service and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, outline information on how North Korean IT workers operate to help identify "red flag" indicators to avoid hiring them.

South Korea and the U.S. published the guidance in December 2022 and May 2022, respectively, and they announced the updates in a joint format.

The suspicious indicators include unwillingness to appear on camera or conduct video interviews and undue concern about requirements of a drug test or in-person meetings, the guidance read.

They might also have social media profiles that do not match their resumes provided for the hiring, or have multiple online profiles for the same identity with different pictures, it said.

They could repeatedly request prepayment or show anger or aggression when the request is denied. They might say their language preferences are in Korean but claim to be from a non-Korean speaking country or region.

The guidance also called for strict due diligence to reduce the risks of inadvertent hiring of freelance North Korean IT workers, by such measures as running thorough background checks without involving a third party staffing company.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]