Case 028: Park Jin Hyok

He brought hospitals, businesses, and governments to their knees — with just a few lines of code.In this episode of Fugitive Files, we investigate Park Jin Hyo, a North Korean national charged in connection with the devastating WannaCry ransomware attack, which crippled systems around the globe in 2017.According to U.S. authorities, Park was a hacker working on behalf of North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, the country's top military intelligence agency. He allegedly helped develop the malicious code behind WannaCry, which encrypted data on hundreds of thousands of computers in over 150 countries — demanding Bitcoin payments to unlock the files. The attack hit hospitals, banks, universities, and even government agencies, causing billions in damages and widespread panic.But this wasn’t his only alleged crime.Park is also accused of being part of the hacking team behind the Sony Pictures breach in 2014, which exposed sensitive company data and was allegedly retaliation for the film The Interview, which mocked the North Korean regime.He now faces charges of:Conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuseConspiracy to commit wire fraudConspiracy to commit bank fraudDespite the charges, Park remains at large — and is believed to be living in North Korea, under the protection of the regime.This is Fugitive Files. Let’s get into it.