A North Korean flag flutters at the propaganda village of Gijungdong in North Korea, in this picture taken near the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, South Korea, July 19, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

SEOUL, Jan 12 (Reuters) – North Korea has lashed out at a special sanctions monitoring team composed of multiple countries, calling its activities “illegal” and irrelevant to the United Nations, state media KCNA reported on Monday.

The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team , opens new tab, composed of 11 countries including South Korea and the United States, is aimed at monitoring and reporting Pyongyang’s violations and evasions of sanctions imposed by United Nations Security Council Resolutions.

A press statement by North Korea’s permanent mission to the United Nations said that the United States was planning to hold a briefing session at U.N. headquarters, KCNA reported.

It said the body was “recklessly formed” outside the U.N. system and could not be recognised by the international community.

The mechanism under the new team was introduced after Russia in 2024 rejected the annual renewal of a U.N. panel of experts that had over the past 15 years overseen the implementation of sanctions aimed at curbing North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. China abstained from the vote.

In October 2025, the team issued , opens new tab a report on “deep connections” between U.N.-designated North Korean entities and Pyongyang’s malicious cyber activities.

The allegation on North Korea’s cyber threats is “a fabricated story based on imagination,” KCNA cited the press statement as saying.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Suggested Topics:

Read Next

Dark comedy “One Battle After Another” was named best movie musical or comedy and “Hamnet,” a story about William Shakespeare and grief, earned the best movie drama prize.

Site Index

About Reuters

Stay Informed

Information you can trust

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world’s media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.

Read More