US Court Holds North Korea Financially Liable for Hamas Attack on Israel

A federal court in Virginia has ruled that North Korea is financially responsible for the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, as well as other terrorist activities. The decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by 47 U.S. citizens and their families who suffered losses due to terrorist attacks and are seeking compensation from North Korea and Iran.

The court found that North Korea provided material and financial support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hezbollah, and other terrorist groups. While U.S. law generally prohibits civil suits against foreign nations, exceptions exist for countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism. North Korea was relisted as such in 2017.

Judge Leonie Brinkema ordered North Korea and Iran to pay a total of $486 million in damages, stating, "The defendants are jointly and severally liable for the damages suffered by the plaintiffs." The plaintiffs, including U.S. military personnel and civilians, had alleged that both countries supplied weapons, provided training, and offered material support to "axis of resistance" groups, enabling attacks in Iraq, Syria, Kenya, and Israel.

The ruling was made by default after North Korea failed to respond to court documents. The court identified North Korea as Iran's "chief state partner," detailing their cooperation in missile development since the 1980s and noting North Korean military specialists' involvement in constructing underground facilities and tunnels in southern Lebanon in the 2000s. The plaintiffs argued, and the court agreed, that these tunnels were used for attacks against Israel.

While North Korea is unlikely to pay voluntarily, the ruling allows victims to seek partial compensation through the U.S. Justice Department's Victims of Terrorism Fund or by identifying frozen North Korean assets and illicit funds in financial institutions worldwide.