The United States and ten allied nations issued a joint warning on Friday that North Korea is deploying skilled information technology workers under false identities to finance its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. North Korea’s foreign ministry immediately rejected the alert, with an unnamed spokesperson telling state media that it was “a stereotyped political accusation with a sinister purpose to tarnish the image of our state.”

The allied statement, signed by the US, South Korea, Japan and eight other Asian and European countries, asserted that North Korean IT personnel impersonate nationals of other states to secure employment and income on online platforms. The earnings are then remitted to government agencies in Pyongyang. The warning further noted that the workers are using artificial intelligence tools to further obscure their real identities.

Responding through the Korean Central News Agency, the foreign ministry spokesperson described the US position as illogical, given that Washington “possesses and operates the biggest cyber force in the world by monopolising the core resources of cyber space.” The statement characterised the allied warning as a pretext for “justifying its illegal policy on placing pressure on sovereign states.” Separately, North Korean officials criticised the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, a body created by the United States to oversee enforcement of international restrictions.

North Korea remains subject to extensive international sanctions over its weapons and nuclear programmes. Western intelligence assessments have long held that the state operates widespread cybercrime, cryptocurrency theft and money-laundering networks to circumvent those measures. No further diplomatic steps were announced by either side following the exchange.