Pyongyang rejects Western claims of state-sponsored cyber warfare

The rebuke follows a collective alert issued Friday by the United States, South Korea, Japan, and eight other nations. The group warned that North Korean IT professionals are leveraging sophisticated AI tools and false identities to secure remote employment. Officials claim these workers funnel earnings directly into Pyongyang’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs, while simultaneously conducting data and cryptocurrency theft.

In response, the North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson condemned the newly formed Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, calling the body an illogical extension of U.S. hegemony. The statement emphasized that the U.S. maintains the world’s largest cyber force, accusing Washington of militarizing cyberspace through joint exercises and aggressive digital surveillance. Pyongyang maintains that these cyber-themed accusations are merely a pretext for regional containment. Separately, state media lashed out at the ongoing RIMPAC naval exercises, claiming that deepening military ties between Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo are manufacturing a fresh security crisis across the Asia-Pacific.