Specter Says DPRK Bridged $38 Million Through Relay in Seven Hours

On-chain investigator Specter said DPRK-linked funds worth $38 million passed through Relay Protocol Bridge in a seven-hour period, with additional bridging still underway when the investigator posted Saturday.

The update appeared at 4:42 p.m. ET Saturday (20:42 UTC). Specter said Relay had claimed to activate a know-your-transaction (KYT) system, but that it did not stop the transfers.

Specter also said DPRK could not launder the funds through THORChain in such a short period, describing Relay as the path that enabled the continued movement. The account puts the bridge at the center of the reported flow: Specter tied $38 million to one seven-hour window and said the transfers had not ended. The investigator’s description also raises the question of how effective Relay’s KYT system was in this case, since Specter said activity continued after it was enabled.

Relay Protocol Bridge was the channel identified for the transfers, while THORChain entered the account as a route Specter said could not be used quickly enough. The update frames the concern around the reported pace of movement and Relay’s inability, in Specter’s description, to stop it.