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Documents found on a North Korean server suggest US studios may have unknowingly outsourced animation work

North Korean illustrators and graphic designers appear to have helped produce work for US animation studios unbeknownst to those companies, suggesting that unreleased episodes of a few popular American cartoons could include work from one of the most closed-off economies in the world.

In addition to drawings for an upcoming season of the Amazon Prime Videoshow “Invincible,” the files also contain sketches and videos that resemble work for “Iyanu: Child of Wonder,” a superhero series slated to air on Max, the streaming service that, along with CNN, is owned by Warner Bros. The discovery raises questions about the ability of US tech and creative arts companies to control their supply chains and avoid work that could inadvertently violate sanctions banning countries from doing business with North Korea. “Treasury remains concerned about North Korean efforts to generate revenue for their weapons programs, including through cybercrime and the abuse of contractors, and urges industry to be vigilant against any attempts to evade sanctions,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

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