### Cyber money laundering arena - North Korea and the shadow of VIP casinos 2015-2016
In 2016, funds leaked from the Central Bank of Bangladesh flowed into the Solea Resort and Casino on the Manila Bay coast of the Philippines. There, six Chinese-speaking men showed up at a certain time each morning, played baccarat nonchalantly for a few hours, and left without a single joy or sorrow at their wins or losses. Their behavior was not mere entertainment, but the very process of money laundering, turning cash into chips and back into funds again. In the background, North Korea has been driven into a foreign currency shortage by international sanctions: in the mid-2010s, the UN Security Council tightened sanctions in response to nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches, restricted exports of coal and mineral resources, and blocked its financial network. In addition to smuggling and diplomatic immunity, North Korea made cyberattacks a new pillar of foreign currency acquisition and mobilized Lazarus, a hacker group under the direct control of the state. At the ti
me, the casino industry in the Philippines was vulnerable to money laundering due to inadequate identification and tracking of the source of funds. Thus, the stolen funds were transformed from cyberspace to the real world and became a means of supporting the nation's foreign currency strategy. One of the glittering casinos was a symbol of the new model for acquiring funds created by North Korea under sanctions.
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