North Korea has accused the United States and its allies of making baseless allegations about its cyber activities in an attempt to damage the country’s reputation and justify increased pressure on sovereign nations.
According to North Korea’s state media KCNA, a spokesperson for the country’s Foreign Ministry described a recent US-led joint warning on North Korean cyber threats as a politically motivated accusation.
The spokesperson also criticised the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), a sanctions monitoring mechanism established by the United States and its partner countries.
“It is illogical that the United States, which possesses and operates the world’s largest cyber force by controlling key cyber resources, is accusing other countries of being cyber threats,” the spokesperson said.
The statement appeared to be a response to a joint alert issued last Friday by the United States, South Korea, Japan, and eight other countries.
The warning alleged that North Korean information technology workers use fake identities to secure remote jobs overseas and generate income to support Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.
The alert also claimed the workers increasingly use artificial intelligence (AI) and other sophisticated tools to conceal their identities while engaging in activities such as data theft, cryptocurrency theft, and the theft of sensitive information, posing insider threats to companies.
In response, North Korea accused Washington of militarising cyberspace by expanding its cyber warfare capabilities and conducting joint cyber exercises with its allies.
Pyongyang said it would not tolerate what it described as politically motivated attempts to use cyber issues as a tool to pressure other countries.
In a separate editorial published by KCNA on Tuesday, a North Korean military commentator also accused the United States, South Korea and Japan of turning the US-led RIMPAC naval exercise into preparations for military aggression.
The commentary claimed that the growing military cooperation between the three countries was creating a new security crisis in the Asia-Pacific region.
