North Korea condemns U.S. 'cyberthreat' charges

May 29 (UPI) -- North Korea slammed a joint advisory from the U.S. government regarding Pyongyang's "malicious cyberactivities" issued last month, calling the alert a "scheme" of the United States.

North Korea's foreign ministry spokesman on money laundering and prevention of terrorist financing said Friday the United States is "blabbering on, without precedent," about North Korea's cyberthreats, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

"To be clear, our country has nothing to do with the cyberthreats the United States has spoken of," Pyongyang's foreign ministry said.

"We are well aware the United States is committed to distorting our country's image, and finding a way to shake us, using the new lever of cyberthreats, along with [charges of] developing nuclear weapons and missiles, human rights [abuses], support for terrorism and money laundering."

"It was clearly demonstrated that the cyberattacks that the United States had connected with us in the past were the acts of an international hacker group, and officials in the United States officially acknowledged it," Pyongyang said, without providing further details.

"The United States must understand the incessant fabrications no longer make sense to the international community."

On April 15, four U.S. government agencies, including the U.S. Departments of State, Treasury and Homeland Security and the FBI issued a joint advisory highlighting the cyberthreat posed by North Korea.

"[North Korea's] malicious cyberactivities threaten the United States and the broader international community and, in particular, pose a significant threat to the integrity and stability of the international financial system," the advisory said.

Computer expertise has been a top priority for the North Korean leadership since Kim Jong Un fully assumed power in 2012.

South Korean news service NK Economy reported Friday the term "computer numerical control," is the inspiration for a new song Kim had ordered to be composed.

CNC refers to a system of automating machines with computer-assisted technology, and has been used to promote self-developed technology in North Korea. The term has been in circulation since the era of Kim Jong Il, the current ruler's father.