Despicable Behavior of UK Government under Fire

Pyongyang, October 30 (KCNA) -- A spokesperson of the Korea-Europe Association Monday released the following press statement:

Recently, the minister of State for the Home Office of the United Kingdom has ridiculously claimed at an interview with BBC that the DPRK was involved in the cyber-attack on the UK National Health Service.

Also in June this year, a high-ranking official of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office claimed that the "cyber criminal group" that conducted cyber-attack was judged to be operating within the DPRK territory and requested us to investigate it and provide the result.

In that regard, we made it very clear that the DPRK had no connection at all with acts of cybercrime and officially informed the UK authorities that unilateral accusation against the DPRK without any clear evidence would be considered as an act of conspiracy to defame the DPRK.

Nevertheless, the UK has made another attempt to incriminate the DPRK as a cyber-criminal. This is an act beyond the limit of our tolerance and it makes us question the real purpose behind the UK's move.

The DPRK has clarified our principled stand, on every opportune occasion, to oppose terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and we have expressed sincere sympathy and condolences to the UK when its citizens fell victim to terrorist attack.

It does not make any sense that the DPRK which gives the highest priority to the life and health of its people would carry out a cyber-attack on the UK health service.

The moves of the UK government to doggedly associate the DPRK with the cyber-attack cannot be interpreted in any other way than a wicked attempt to lure the international community into harboring greater mistrust of the DPRK and further tighten sanctions and pressure against the latter.

The act of the UK government, which aligns itself with the U.S. frantic hostile attempt to infringe upon the sovereignty of the DPRK and to harm its dignity, arouses surging resentment and indignation of our people.

The UK, if it is a law-governed state, should seriously reflect on its despicable moves to damage the image of the DPRK by circulating groundless speculation about the latter and behave in proper order. -0-