[Reuters Exposes North Korea's Hacker Training System: Intensive Training Begins at Age 11, with Successful Operations Yielding Up to 30% of Loot] BlockBeats reported on November 6th, citing Reuters, that North Korean defectors and analysts claim North Korea has cultivated a "world-class" hacking force through a decade-long incentive and selection system, considered one of its "secret weapons." The FBI and Binance have accused the North Korean-affiliated organization TraderTraitor of being responsible for the approximately $6.3 billion theft from Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, last month, a claim Pyongyang denies. The report states that selection can begin as early as 11 or 12 years old during middle school. Each year, authorities select approximately 150 to 200 top students to study computer science. After age 17, the best performers are admitted to top universities for further selection, with a small number joining the military's cyber forces, receiving training in areas such as cryptocurrency protocols and reverse engineering. Those not selected are often trained to remotely write software for Western companies. Successful operations can allow the unit to receive up to 30% of the stolen dollar proceeds, and may also be rewarded with housing in Pyongyang, marriage, and other perks. South Korea's National Intelligence Service estimated in 2024 that North Korea had approximately 8,400 personnel involved in cyber warfare. Binance claims that attackers infiltrated employee computers using fake interviews and embedded advertising software, then used internal AI tools to seize control of the systems.