North Korea has slammed U.S. indictments against DPRK IT workers for illegally working at foreign firms, denouncing the accusations as a “groundless” provocation that violates its national sovereignty.

In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), a spokesperson for the DPRK’s foreign ministry rejected the charges as “an absurd smear campaign” aimed at tarnishing North Korea’s image.

The ministry accused successive U.S. administrations of manufacturing the threat of North Korean cyberattacks and using the issue as a “political weapon.”

“The real threat of creating international cyberspace instability comes not from the DPRK but from the U.S.,”