North Korea has sharply condemned the Quad alliance of the United States, India, Japan, and Australia for its persistent demands that Pyongyang denuclearize. In a statement released Friday through state media agency KCNA, a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson denounced the alliance’s policy as hostile and unacceptable.
The regime also rejected recent US claims of cybercrime as a fabrication. This comes after the US Department of Justice last month announced arrests and indictments connected to North Korea’s so-called “IT worker” program. The scheme supposedly allows North Koreans to obtain remote IT employment with US firms based on their access, using it to steal money and sensitive information in several countries.
Pyongyang called these accusations an attempt by Washington as an orchestrated move to blacken its reputation and fuel tension. The North’s reaction comes amidst increased regional security fears as well as increasing scrutiny of its cyber activities and nuclear program.