North Korean animators may be involved in the production of some Japanese and U.S. animated shows, a website providing analysis of North Korea said Monday.
According to the 38 North website, files related to the shows were found to be saved in an internet cloud server believed to be managed by the country.
Shows with suspected North Korean involvement include the Japanese television anime series "Dahliya In Bloom," scheduled to air in July, and the U.S. animated series "Invincible." Some files in the cloud server carried the name of an animation studio based in Sapporo.
The cloud server contained anime images inscribed with comments in Chinese and Korean.
Martyn Williams, a senior fellow at the U.S. think tank Stimson Center who analyzed the cloud server, said that a Pyongyang-based animation studio subject to U.S. sanctions may be involved in the production of works.
"There is no evidence to suggest that the companies identified in the images had any knowledge that a part of their project had been subcontracted to North Korean animators," Williams said.
The server was accessed from China's Liaoning province, which neighbors North Korea and where many technology professionals from the country live.
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