Pyongyang accuses Washington of damaging country's image, vows to protect rights of its citizens
North Korea on Friday condemned the US over its recent indictment of four of its nationals on cybercrime charges, calling Washington's action “an absurd smear campaign” aimed at tarnishing the country's image.
“The real threat of creating international cyberspace instability comes not from the DPRK but from the US,” said the country's Foreign Ministry, referring to the Democratic Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name, state-run Korean Central News Agency reported.
"This incident is an absurd and groundless slander aimed at tarnishing our country's image as an extension of past US administrations' hostile policies toward the DPRK which have vigorously promoted our non-existent ‘cyber threat' and is a serious infringement on our sovereignty," it said in statement in the Korean language.
The reaction came after the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia indicted four North Korean nationals in connection with a scheme to steal and launder approximately $900,000 in cryptocurrency. They are accused of wire fraud and money laundering offenses.
The four individuals have also been added to a federal wanted list.
Pyongyang expressed "grave concern" over the move and said the actions taken by US judicial authorities threatened the safety and rights of their citizens.
"The United States has long been turning cyberspace into a battlefield, creating a constant threat to the cybersecurity of sovereign nations, including ours, and is using cyber issues as a political weapon to undermine other countries' rights and legitimate actions," said the ministry, vowing to protect the rights of their citizens.
