In recent years, individuals from North Korea have secured remote positions at numerous Western firms by masquerading as being from different locations, utilizing counterfeit resumes, and occasionally with aid from American associates.

This has been a significant issue for years, as North Korea faces tight sanctions imposed by the U.S. and European authorities due to the regime’s illicit nuclear weapons initiatives, which restrict companies from employing North Korean nationals.

Eventually, someone came up with a method to potentially uncover North Koreans during job interviews: asking the suspected impostor to criticize the nation’s leader Kim Jong Un, since denouncing him is illegal in North Korea and could lead to severe penalties. Although this tactic is widely recognized, examples of it effectively functioning in real scenarios are seldom encountered.

That’s precisely what transpired in this video that gained traction on X. The footage depicts a job interview via video call, where the interviewer requests the candidate to state, “Kim Jong Un is a fat ugly pig.”

The request seems to confuse the job candidate, who becomes noticeably uneasy, feigns a lack of understanding regarding the inquiry, and ultimately leaves the interview.

It is crucial to recognize that this method does not always yield results. Some North Korean phony IT professionals, especially those based in China or Russia, may not be subjected to the same level of oversight as the hackers operating within North Korea’s territory, rendering these tactics less effective in isolation.