North Korea Condemns Latest US Sanctions Targeting Cybercrime, Vows Countermeasures

Pyongyang Denounces 'Hostile' US Sanctions

North Korea on Thursday, November 6, 2025, strongly condemned the latest sanctions imposed by the United States Treasury Department, which targeted individuals and entities involved in cybercrime and illicit IT worker operations. Pyongyang accused Washington of displaying a 'wicked nature to be hostile' and vowed to take 'proper measures' in response.

The condemnation follows the US Treasury's announcement on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, of sanctions against eight individuals and two North Korea-based entities. These measures aim to disrupt funding streams for North Korea's illicit weapons programs.

Details of US Treasury Sanctions

The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified the sanctioned entities as Korea Mangyongdae Computer Technology Company (KMCTC) and Ryujong Credit Bank. KMCTC is an IT firm operating with workers in China, while Ryujong Credit Bank is a financial institution accused of facilitating sanctions evasion activities between China and North Korea.

Among the individuals sanctioned is U Yong Su, the president of KMCTC. Additionally, bankers Jang Kuk Chol and Ho Jong Son were blacklisted for managing illicit fund transfers, including approximately $5.3 million in cryptocurrency linked to ransomware attacks and North Korea's overseas IT worker operations. Other individuals, including Ho Yong Chol, Han Hong Gil, Jong Sung Hyok, Choe Chun Pom, and Ri Jin Hyok, were identified as North Korean financial representatives operating in China and Russia.

US officials stated that these individuals and entities are crucial components of Pyongyang's network for laundering money obtained through cybercrime and fraudulent IT worker schemes, which are used to finance the regime's nuclear weapons program. Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley emphasized that 'North Korean state-sponsored hackers steal and launder money to fund the regime's nuclear weapons program,' directly threatening US and global security. Over the past three years, North Korean cybercriminals are estimated to have stolen more than $3 billion, primarily in cryptocurrency.

Pyongyang's Defiant Response

In a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim Un Chol, Vice-Minister for US affairs at North Korea's foreign ministry, denounced the sanctions. He asserted that the US administration had 'clarified its stand to be hostile toward the DPRK to the last' and warned that Washington's pressure tactics would 'never alter the current strategic balance or our national stance.'

Kim Un Chol stated that the sanctions would not affect North Korea's policy course but would 'only be recorded as a typical example symbolising the failure in its incurable policy toward the DPRK.' He also vowed 'unspecified countermeasures' in response to what he termed Washington's 'wicked hostility.'

Broader Context of US-DPRK Relations

These latest sanctions mark the fifth set imposed by the current US administration. The timing of the sanctions comes shortly after US President Donald Trump's recent trip to South Korea, during which he expressed a willingness to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. However, this offer reportedly went unanswered by Pyongyang. Diplomacy between the two nations has largely stalled since the collapse of nuclear talks in 2019, which failed over disagreements on sanctions relief in exchange for denuclearization steps.