North korea: North Korea on Sunday dismissed allegations that it had been the mastermind behind a recent international hacking case, accusing the United States of pushing "an absurd slander to tarnish the image of our country" by spreading false information.
According to Yonhap News Agency, in a response provided to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), a spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry claimed that the U.S. was building a narrative about the unfounded "cyber threat" from Pyongyang. The spokesperson stated that U.S. government bodies and media outlets are attempting to mislead the international community by talking about a non-existent cyber threat from North Korea.
The spokesperson further argued that the U.S., which has control over global IT infrastructure, is unreasonable in describing itself as a victim of cyberattacks. The spokesperson also suggested that the U.S. claims are an extension of its hostile policy toward Pyongyang and are politically motivated.
The North Korean official emphasized that the country will not tolerate attempts at confrontation in various domains, including cyber space, and will take necessary measures to defend its state interests and protect its citizens' rights. North Korean hacking group Lazarus has often been accused of launching cyberattacks, most recently on the decentralized finance platform KelpDAO.