North Korea has announced it will not tolerate the U.S.’s emphasis on its alleged cyber threats, vowing to implement countermeasures to safeguard its national interests and protect its citizens’ rights.
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson made this statement on May 3 during an interview with the Korean Central News Agency, asserting that the U.S. is publicizing North Korea’s supposed cyber threats.
The spokesperson highlighted that the common thread in their one-sided claims is that all cyber-related fraud occurring globally is somehow linked to them, and ironically, the U.S., which boasts the world’s most advanced cyber capabilities, portrays itself as the biggest victim worldwide.
He further criticized that the U.S. publicizing so-called cyber threats is nothing more than a baseless smear campaign. It’s a politically motivated continuation of their long-standing hostile policy toward North Korea, spreading disinformation to tarnish the nation’s image.
The spokesperson emphasized that its unwavering policy is to staunchly oppose any malicious attempts to exploit cyberspace, a shared asset of humanity, as a political tool for infringing on sovereignty or interfering in internal affairs.
Earlier in March, the White House unveiled a new cybersecurity strategy, pledging to robustly counter hacking activities led by adversarial nations, including North Korea, China, and Russia. While not naming specific countries, the White House asserted that it will combat the spread of authoritarian technologies used to surveil and oppress citizens. Those who pose a tangible threat to them will face consequences for their actions.
North Korea has been implicated in several major international hacking incidents. Recently, claims have surfaced suggesting that the cyberattack on the decentralized finance (DeFi) platform Kelp DAO, which resulted in losses exceeding 290 million USD, may have been orchestrated by North Korea’s notorious hacking group, Lazarus.