North Korea has denounced the latest US sanctions targeting individuals and entities accused of funding Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program through cybercrimes, saying Washington’s “hostile” policy will never force it to change direction.
In a statement Thursday, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Un Chol accused the United States of “wicked hostility” and warned of “appropriate countermeasures.”, reports UNB/AP.
The US Treasury Department earlier announced sanctions on eight people and two firms — including several North Korean bankers — allegedly involved in laundering billions in stolen digital assets. According to Washington, North Korea’s state-backed hackers have stolen over $3 billion in recent years to finance its weapons programs.
Despite former President Donald Trump’s stated willingness to restart dialogue, nuclear talks have remained frozen since collapsing in 2019 over sanctions relief disputes. Kim Un Chol said the new measures show Washington’s “unchanging hostility” and vowed they would “never alter our national stance.”
Since talks broke down, Kim Jong Un has strengthened ties with Russia, supplying weapons and troops for Moscow’s war in Ukraine and aligning more closely with other nations opposing the US-led West.
