American TV Series Secretly Animated by North Koreans Despite Sanctions

In a shocking revelation, evidence has emerged suggesting that popular American and Japanese animated series, including Amazon Prime's 'Invincible' and HBO Max's 'Iyanu: Child of Wonder,' were secretly produced in North Korea despite international sanctions. The discovery was made by cyber investigator Nick Roy, who found a cloud storage server with a North Korean IP address containing thousands of animation work files, including editing comments in Chinese and Korean.

The files appeared to be in the early stages of sketch work before coloring, with the work changing daily and the volume being considerable. While the entity that uploaded the files is unconfirmed, the report strongly suspects the involvement of the North Korean production company Korean April 26 Animation Studio (SEK Studio), which has been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department.

The speculation is that the U.S. and Japan outsourced animation production to companies in China, which then subcontracted the work to North Korea. However, the production companies have denied any involvement with North Korean companies or affiliates and are conducting internal investigations.

Why this matters: This discovery exposes the complexities of the global animation industry, where studios seeking cost-effective solutions might inadvertently breach sanctions or contribute to unethical labor practices, as North Korea remains under strict international sanctions.

Skybound Entertainment, the studio behind 'Invincible', has issued an official statement, clarifying that they do not work with North Korean companies or any affiliated entities and have no knowledge of North Korean companies working on their animation projects. The company is taking these allegations seriously and has initiated an internal review to verify and rectify any potential issues. They have also notified the proper authorities and are cooperating with all appropriate bodies.

The U.S. government has previously imposed sanctions on North Korea's premier animation house, the April 26 Animation Studio, and Chinese companies that have worked with it. A North Korean defector revealed that the studio had a team dedicated to joint work with foreign studios, and some North Korean cartoonists left the country to work in China, officially as construction workers but secretly creating animation for Chinese clients.

The alleged involvement of North Korean animators in Western productions remains under investigation. If U.S. companies are found to be purposefully working with North Korean companies, there could be major repercussions due to the sanctions in place. The U.S. government has warned businesses about the risk of inadvertently hiring North Korean IT workers, as this could put them in violation of sanctions.

Key Takeaways

• Evidence suggests popular US/Japanese cartoons were secretly produced in North Korea.
• Cyber investigator found North Korean IP address with animation work files, including editing comments.
• Suspected involvement of North Korean animation studio sanctioned by US Treasury Dept.
• Production companies deny involvement with North Korean companies, conducting internal investigations.
• Alleged North Korean animator involvement could lead to major repercussions due to sanctions.