North Korea calls WannaCry indictment a smear campaign, claims hacker does not exist

• The DoJ recently indicted a North Korean programmer, Park Jin Hyok, over his alleged connection to the WannaCry ransomware outbreak.
• A North Korean Foreign Ministry official reportedly said that Park is a “non-entity”.

North Korea has reportedly called the US government’s recent charges against a North Korean official a smear campaign. Last week, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) indicted a North Korean programmer, Park Jin Hyok, over his alleged connection to the WannaCry ransomware outbreak.

The DoJ, as well as several cybersecurity firms, have previously blamed North Korean threat group Lazarus various high-profile cyberattacks, including the 2014 Sony hack, the 2016 Bangladesh Bank hack and the WannaCry epidemic that infected computers in over 150 countries last year.

North Korea denies all allegations

Park is believed to be linked to Lazarus and was charged over his alleged involvement in the WannaCry attacks. However, North Korea has refuted all allegations of being involved in these attacks and has reportedly warned the US government’s recent charges could harm talks between the two nations.

A North Korean Foreign Ministry official said in a statement that Park was a “non-entity”, the AP reported.

“The act of cybercrimes mentioned by the Justice Department has nothing to do with us,” Han Yong Song, a researcher at the North Korean Foreign Ministry’s Institute for American Studies, said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, AP reported.

“The U.S. should seriously ponder over the negative consequences of circulating falsehoods and inciting antagonism against the DPRK that may affect the implementation of the joint statement adopted at the DPRK-U.S. summit,” Han added.

However, the indictment against Park indicates that the US government believes that Park was working with a team of hackers employed by a private firm, which is considered to be a front for the North Korean government.