Arrests of adversarial nation-state spies escalate, FBI director says

FBI Director Kash Patel has announced that apprehensions of North Korean, Chinese, and Russian spies have increased by 35% between 2024 and 2025, as part of U.S. counterterrorism and espionage takedown efforts under his leadership, reports The Chosun Daily.

"I am proud that large-scale crackdowns and arrests are taking place, and we are responding appropriately," said Patel in a podcast hosted by conservative influencer Katie Miller. North Korea has long ventured into cyberespionage to help support its weapons programs amid international sanctions, with North Korea-nexus groups reported by Chainalysis to have stolen nearly $2.02 billion in cryptocurrency assets last year.

"After months of precise analysis of targets, all resources are invested in big fish that can extract hundreds of millions of dollars in a single successful attack," said the report. Such a development also comes after the FBI warned of QR code phishing intrusions deployed by North Korean threat operation Kimsuky.