North Korea condemned the U.S. and other Western countries for exploring replacements for a recently dissolved U.N. sanctions monitor, accusing the international panel of spreading false information to suit the goals of Pyongyang’s rivals.

In a press release published by the state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Sunday, the DPRK’s Ambassador to the U.N. Kim Song criticized Washington and its allies for issuing a joint statement calling for alternatives to the Panel of Experts on DPRK sanctions after its term ended last week.

Comparing the joint statement to “a funeral oration,” the envoy said the West must accept the