Job applicant caught by "Try insulting Kim Jong Un" question... Was he a DPRK agent?

According to The Financial News, as more "DPRK IT operatives" hide their nationality and get hired by global IT companies, an unusual method to screen them is drawing attention.
On the 6th, A, who works as a researcher and contributor in the cryptocurrency sector, shared on his social media a video of an online job interview in which he said he identified an applicant suspected of being a DPRK IT operative.
A argued, "It won't work forever, but for now it's a really effective filter," adding, "I have yet to see a single DPRK operative who can say something insulting about Kim Jong Un."
In the video, the applicant answers technical questions with ease. However, when the interviewer asks him to criticize the DPRK system and its leader, he appears visibly flustered and ultimately gives no answer.
The interviewer presses him, saying, "Can you say 'Kim Jong Un is an idiot' for me?" and explains, "This isn't political. It's just a very simple test to screen out DPRK operatives." The applicant remains silent to the end.
A similar case has been reported by foreign media. Last month, the Australian current affairs program "60 Minutes (Australian TV program)" covered a comparable screening process.
The production team posed as IT recruiters and conducted a video interview with an applicant suspected of having ties to the DPRK. The applicant claimed to have graduated from New York University (NYU) and to be working in Silicon Valley, but could not properly answer basic questions about New York geography.
One moment in particular stood out: when asked, "Do you know who Kim Jong Un is?" the applicant replied, "I have no idea." The producers pointed out that claiming not to know such a well-known figure as Kim Jong Un exposed a weakness created by ideological constraints.
Meanwhile, DPRK-linked IT workers are believed to be generating substantial income. U.S. cybersecurity firm Dtex Systems estimates that they earn around 864 million dollars a year worldwide. U.S. authorities also believe that, since 2018, hundreds of millions of dollars annually have been funneled to the DPRK regime through such schemes.
Private security firms are also moving to respond. SEAL, a private security alliance made up of Web3 security experts, is jointly developing a practical guideline for dealing with DPRK IT personnel.
However, security experts caution that while this kind of "ideological litmus test" may have some effect, it is not a fundamental solution.
moon@fnnews.com Reporter Moon Young-jin Reporter