South Korea's national spy agency told a parliamentary committee it was possible North Korean hackers broke into the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck Inc. to steal $520 million worth of digital coins, a source familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
"It's a possibility that North Korea could be behind the theft," said the source, who had knowledge of Intelligence Committee proceedings.
The person, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, added that the virtual coin market remains a likely target for North Korean hackers due to its sheer size and light regulation, but there was no hard evidence North Koreans were behind the theft.