United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Friday that the US is imposing sanctions on the virtual currency mixer Blender for its use by North Korea "to support its cyber-enabled illicit activities and money-laundering of stolen virtual currency funds."
The US accused North Korea of trying to evade sanctions imposed by the international community, stating the country "has resorted to theft of funds from virtual currency exchanges and blockchain-related companies to generate revenue for its unlawful weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs." Blinken reiterated that the US remains committed to seeking diplomacy with North Korea and called on it to engage in dialogue.
