What We Learned Inside a North Korean Internet Server: How Well Do You Know Your Partners?
2024-04-22 • 38North •
A misconfigured North Korean cloud server exposed daily animation work files moving between outside production contacts and animators likely connected to Pyongyang's April 26 Animation Studio, also known as SEK Studio. The files contained Chinese editing instructions with Korean translations, suggesting an intermediary relayed work to North Korean animators who lacked direct internet access. Access logs included VPN traffic plus non-VPN IP addresses in Spain and China, including Liaoning Province, a known hub for North Korean overseas IT workers. The exposed projects appeared to include major US, Japanese, Chinese, and BBC-linked animation titles, but the source found no evidence that the named companies knew any subcontracted work reached North Korea.