SEOUL: North Korea has condemned the recent US sanctions imposed on individuals and organizations accused of cybercrimes, characterizing them as demonstrating Washington's 'wicked nature' towards the regime.

The criticism follows an announcement by the US Treasury this week, which sanctioned eight individuals and two entities for their involvement in laundering funds from various illicit Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) schemes.

According to US officials, these individuals are state-sponsored hackers who have conducted operations aimed at funding North Korea's nuclear weapons program through theft and money laundering, primarily using cryptocurrency and sophisticated techniques such as advanced malware and social engineering.

The sanctions come amid ongoing tensions between the two nations.

Kim Un Chol, vice-minister for US affairs at North Korea’s foreign ministry, denounced the measures in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

He highlighted that these represent the fifth round of sanctions imposed by the new US administration since taking office and emphasized that such actions will not influence North Korea's policy course but serve as a testament to Washington’s hostile intent towards Pyongyang.