Seoul, July 4
North Korea on Friday denounced the United States' recent indictment of four North Korean nationals on charges of wire fraud and money laundering as "an absurd smear campaign."
Late last month, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia charged four North Koreans in connection with a wire fraud scheme through which they allegedly stole and laundered over US$900,000 in virtual currency. They were also placed on a wanted list.
"The recent incident is an absurd smear campaign and grave violation of sovereignty aimed at tarnishing the image of our state," the Korean Central News Agency quoted a foreign ministry spokesperson as saying, accusing the US of continuing a "hostile move" against a non-existent "cyber threat" from Pyongyang.
Working as a team in the United Arab Emirates, they allegedly posed as remote IT workers using false identities to gain employment at a blockchain development company in Atlanta, Georgia, and a Serbian virtual token firm between late 2020 and early 2021, reported Yonhap news agency.
After earning their employers' trust, they gained access to digital assets and stole cryptocurrency worth $915,000, transferring them to separate accounts, according to the charges.
The North Korean spokesperson expressed "serious concern" and called the indictment a "provocation" that encroaches upon the rights and interests of North Korean citizens by "fabricating the groundless cyber drama."
"The real threat of creating international cyberspace instability comes not from the DPRK but from the US," the spokesperson noted, accusing Washington of turning cyberspace into "a scene of battle and abusing the cyber issue as a political weapon."
DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name of the country.
"We will never tolerate any hostile act of the US to encroach upon our state's sovereignty through groundless slander and illegal application of judicial means," the official said, warning that his country has the right to take a proper and proportionate countermeasure to thoroughly protect the security and rights of its citizens.
— IANS
Reader Comments
North Korea always denies everything! Remember when they hacked Sony? After seeing so many cyber attacks from them, I don't think US is making this up. India should be careful with such nations - our IT sector is too valuable to risk.
The real issue here is how they got jobs using fake identities. This is why background checks are so important! Many Indian IT companies also hire remote workers without proper verification. Wake up call for our HR departments!
While the US has its own issues, we can't ignore that North Korea has a history of cyber crimes. As someone working in Bangalore's tech industry, this makes me worried about international collaborations. Need stronger cyber laws globally!
Honestly, both countries are known for spying on others. Remember Snowden revelations? India should focus on building our own cyber defense systems instead of taking sides in these international fights. Atmanirbhar in cybersecurity!
The cryptocurrency angle is most worrying. With India still figuring out crypto regulations, such incidents show why we need clear policies. Hackers target weak systems - hope our authorities are paying attention! 🚨
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.