North Korean Cyber Agents Use 'Despicable Me' Characters in Social Media Profiles

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on July 23, 2025, North Korean cyber agents, who often disguise themselves to secure jobs at American companies, have been using characters from the animated film 'Despicable Me' in their social media profiles. Investigators tracking these agents noted that the fondness of North Koreans for the 'Despicable Me' series has become a somewhat amusing topic among security researchers.

'Despicable Me' follows the adventures of the villain Gru, whose yellow, pill-shaped minions have gained immense popularity. Initially, investigators suspected that a North Korean agent using the name 'Gru' might be referencing the Russian military intelligence agency, GRU. However, one agent, while applying for a position at a U.S. IT company, used the username 'Grudev325' and mentioned in an interview that he liked 'Despicable Me,' clarifying that he was referring to the character from the film, not the intelligence agency.

Although this agent was dismissed from his job within a month due to lack of skills, he later participated in a cryptocurrency project that successfully stole $62 million (approximately 86 billion KRW). Taylor Monahan, an investigator from the cryptocurrency firm MetaMask, revealed that many of the disguised North Korean agents have a fondness for characters like the minions from 'Despicable Me.'

As a result, when hints related to 'Despicable Me' characters appear during investigations, it signals to the investigators that they are on the right track. Some agents have even adopted the alias 'Kevin,' a name of a prominent minion character from the series. One agent using this name reportedly spent work hours searching for 'Despicable Me' characters. Monahan suggested that the frequent use of these characters by North Korean agents is likely due to their genuine fandom for the animation, stating, 'How can anyone not like the minions?'