North Korea has expressed strong opposition to a joint statement issued by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, which aims to strengthen measures against malicious activities carried out by North Korean information technology (IT) personnel.
TheKorean Central News Agency reported that Kim Cheon-il, the director of the Foreign Ministry’s press office, released a statement dismissing the trilateral cooperation as a political farce. He argued that it was intended to disseminate unfounded cyber threat theories internationally, thereby smearing North Korea’s image and serving as a guise for a collective pressure campaign against the country.
Kim pointed out that the provocative actions by the U.S., Japan, and South Korea—seeking to institutionalize and formalize collective pressure against a sovereign state—are extending into new fields and intensifying geopolitical confrontations. He specifically referenced the 4th Working Group Meeting on North Korean Cyber Threat Response held last month by the diplomatic authorities of the three nations.
He criticized the U.S. for launching the trilateral diplomatic working group in 2023 to address alleged cyber threats from North Korea. Kim accused the U.S. of planning to use routine consultations with Japan and South Korea as a means to leverage cyberspace as a critical tool for sanctions and pressure.
Moreover, he noted that discussions regarding North Korea’s cyber threats took place at international events such as the Munich Security Conference in February and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in April. Kim warned that the more the U.S. persists in its outdated and malicious hostile actions against North Korea, through enhanced cooperation with its allies, the deeper the resulting irreparable distrust and animosity between the two sides will become.
In conclusion, he emphasized that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will take practical measures to safeguard its interests from the increasingly brazen actions of hostile states in various domains, including cyberspace, and to neutralize their malicious influence.