Bybit Sues North Korea in U.S. Court, Freezes Lazarus-Stolen Crypto and Seeks Recovery

Bybit has filed a civil lawsuit in U.S. federal court targeting North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau and the Lazarus Group over a reported $1.5 billion crypto theft linked to a February 2025 exchange breach, according to multiple reports ^{[1] [2]}.

A U.S. court granted a preliminary injunction freezing identified stolen assets tied to the case, the reports say. Bybit also reported recovering about $48.4 million, while roughly $30.5 million remained frozen across more than 28 cryptocurrency exchanges and custodians as the legal efforts progressed ^{[1] [3] [4]}.

The litigation marks a new enforcement phase for Bybit as the court order preserves assets while the recovery effort continues ^{[1] [4]}.