Seoul: A U.S. lawmaker has introduced a bill aimed at countering North Korea's illicit schemes involving its information technology (IT) workers and other activities that support its weapons of mass destruction programs.

According to Yonhap News Agency, on Monday, Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) submitted the bill, titled "North Korean Fraudulent Applicants Knowingly Enriching the Regime Act," or the "North Korean FAKER Act." This legislation would authorize the secretary of state to cooperate with U.S. allies and partners to detect, attribute, and disrupt North Korea's IT worker schemes and other illicit activities.

The introduction of the bill comes as the United States, South Korea, Japan, and other countries are increasing their cooperation to address Pyongyang's revenue generation activities. These activities, often conducted through IT workers or other illicit means, are a growing concern due to North Korea's advancing nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The bill mandates the secretary of state to work closely with allies and partners to align sanctions and other measures to tackle North Korean IT worker schemes. It also emphasizes enhancing information sharing and engaging with private-sector entities possessing relevant technical expertise to better detect, attribute, and disrupt illicit North Korean activities.

Additionally, the bill provides for increasing rewards to address IT worker schemes and networks involved in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It requires the secretary of state to report to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on North Korea's IT worker schemes and the efforts to counter them within 180 days of the act's enactment and annually for two years thereafter.