OFAC North Korea Sanctions Screening

Checking counterparties against the comprehensive North Korea program, which prohibits virtually all transactions and watches cyber-enabled revenue.

TL;DR

TL;DR: North Korea sanctions are comprehensive, prohibiting virtually all transactions. Screening pays special attention to cyber-enabled revenue such as stolen crypto.

The Comprehensive Program

OFAC's North Korea program is among the broadest. Rather than targeting a narrow set of parties, it prohibits virtually all transactions and designates entities tied to the regime's revenue streams. This includes attention to cyber activity used to generate funds, such as cryptocurrency theft.

Why Crypto Is Central

North Korea-linked actors are known to use blockchain to move and launder funds. For an AI agent that pays in crypto, this raises the stakes: the counterparty may not look like a traditional designated party and may instead be a wallet tied to stolen funds. sanctionsai.dev screens against 947 OFAC-listed crypto wallets, which is where this exposure surfaces.

Agent Payment Relevance

An agent settling a wallet-to-wallet payment should screen the address against the current list before paying. Under OFAC strict liability, intent is not required, and the comprehensive scope leaves little room for a defensible near-miss. Money movers such as x402, AP2, ACP, and Coinbase AgentKit do not screen, so the step must be added.

Practical Guidance

• Treat any North Korea-linked match as a hard block.
• Screen wallet addresses, not just business names.
• Watch for wallets with ties to known hacks or mixers.