The most recent accusation made by the US the bout the involvement of a man from North Korea in the hacking of Sony Pictures in the year 2014 is a “non-existent” individual with the Pyongyang warning Washington that the false accusation could prove to have a negative impact on relations between the two countries.

In a most recent move, the US Justice Department charged Park Jin-hyok on 6 September for the alleged conspiring in “multiple destructive cyber-attacks around the world”, which included the 2014 attack on Sony Pictures. It also alleged that he created malicious software to target and cripple the National Health Service, the UK in 2017.

The US Treasury Department also listed Mr. Park to its list of sanctioned individuals.

He is alleged to have been linked to Lab 110 which is one of the North Korean government’s hacking organizations commonly called as Lazarus Group. L

A published commentary from North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the sanctioning of Mr. Park as a “vicious slander and another smear campaign full of falsehood and fabrication designed to undermine” North Korea.

The KCNA commentary said Mr. Park “is a non-existent entity, and furthermore, the act of cyber crimes mentioned by the Justice Department has nothing to do with us”.

It also said that the US was in fact “misleading the public opinion… by forcibly linking the non-existent ‘offender’ and his so-called cybercrimes with our state organs”, and said that the sanctioning of Korea Expo Joint Venture Company, thought to be a Lab 110 front organization, a total “farce” that was “kicked up” by the US Treasury.

It further said that America should “seriously ponder over the negative consequences of circulating falsehoods”, especially in the recent North Korea-US joint statement following the Kim-Trump summit held in June this year, which was actually meant to build mutual confidence between both the countries.

Despite the North Korean to clear the smoke over Mr. Park that he does not exist, the FBI has already gone on with its procedure to seek him as a wanted poster with a photograph of the man.

The Foreign Ministry of North Korea also went on to criticize America’s own actions in cyberspace by saying Washington has got a long record of questionable behavior regarding hacking and espionage.

“The US is the chief culprit responsible for posing security threats in cyberspace, and the world vividly remembers the fact that the US was criticized for bugging the cell phones of its ally leaders and launching, without hesitation, cyber-attacks against its allies, let alone its enemies,” it said.

“Our State has long made it as its policy to oppose all kinds of cyber-attacks and fully ensure cyber-security, and is taking all steps for its implementation,” the KCNA statement continued.

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There seems to be a spring-like weather in political atmosphere of Korean peninsula. From a nearing war like situation, things went awry with escalation of rhetoric between North Korean President Kim Jong Un and United States President Donald Trump. While the verbal fights seemed to be childish for a political expert, but if it were to transform into a real fight, the consequences would have been much more disastrous than one can think. Yes, both were nearing for a nuclear-encounter, that means, if others come to take part in cooking the broth, it would have spoiled the whole earth much more than the 1^st and 2^nd World wars, or even with the life ceasing to exist on earth.

Now, both the countries are of North and South Korea are on a way to stitch each other’s old wounds with the fresh news just last week about the North Korean leader meeting his China counterpart and pledging to denuclearize the nation.

The news is that North and South Korea have agreed to hold the first inter-Korean summit since 2007 on April 27, South Korean government officials have confirmed that after holding high-level talks with their North Korean counterparts.

The announcement was made on Thursday after preparatory talks in the border village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarised Zone near the borders between both the countries.

The delegation from South Korea was led by Cho Myoung-gyon, the unification minister, while Ri Son-gwon,  who is the chairman of an agency that deals with inter-Korean affairs, led the team of officials from North Korea.

The summit –considered to be only the third to take place since the 1950-53 Korean War – is scheduled to be attended by the head of North Korea, Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

As per the news reports from Yonhap news agency, the pair will hold a meet in the Peace House on the southern side of Panmunjon.

The summit is expected to be a significant one in the global diplomatic push to resolve the standoff over the ongoing North’s nuclear programme.

Artists from both countries will take part for a show on April 3, the South’s Yonhap news agency said.

The two sides will hold another preparatory talks on April 4 to discuss various issues like protocol, security and media coverage issues.

South Korea’s presidential office said a Chinese official was heading to South Korea to brief President Moon about the summit this week between North Korea’s and China’s leaders.

On Wednesday, Chinese news agency Xinhua quoted North Korean leader Kim as saying the nuclear weapons issue could be resolved if South Korea and the US respond to North Korea’s ongoing efforts “with goodwill”.

“It is our consistent stand to be committed to denuclearisation on the peninsula, in accordance with the will of late president Kim Il-sung and late general secretary Kim Jong-il,” Kim said, referring to his grandfather and father, according to the statement by China’s foreign ministry.

“The issue of denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula can be resolved if South Korea and the United States respond to our efforts with goodwill, create an atmosphere of peace and stability, while taking progressive and synchronous measures for the realisation of peace.”

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In a threatening warning, US President Donald Trump has said that he will cancel talks with North Korea’s leader if they are ‘not fruitful’.

While speaking alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a recently held press conference, the US President on Wednesday was optimistic over a planned meeting with Kim Jong-Un, but said he would “respectfully leave” if the summit would turn out to be unproductive.

“I like always remaining flexible. We’ll remain flexible here,” he said.

Trump further added that a campaign of “maximum pressure” would continue “until North Korea denuclearises”.

Abe also called on the international community and the US not to reward Kim just for showing up for talks.

“Just because North Korea is responding to dialogue there should be no reward, maximum pressure should be maintained,” he said.

The comments from both leaders came at the end of a two-day meeting at Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago resort located in Florida.

Trump, on Wednesday, confirmed that CIA Director Mike Pompeo had met with President Kim, to secretly lay the groundwork for the upcoming summit.

“[Pompeo] got along with him really well, really great,” Trump said.

The United States top spy has yet to be confirmed as secretary of state who was announced to be the next chief, after Rex Tillerson was fired in March.

He is facing severe opposition in the Senate foreign relations committee and might have his nomination put to a vote in the Senate without the committee’s favourable recommendation being done – something that has not at all happened since votes were made public in the year 1925.

Trump accepted an invitation in March to meet Kim in a summit this summer.

The invitation followed months of diplomatic standoff between the two leaders exchange fiery military threats and personal insults.

Trump gave his “blessing” on Tuesday for inter-Korean talks, scheduled for April 27.

“Subject to a deal they have my blessing and they do have my blessing to discuss that,” Trump said.

A date for the meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un has not yet been scheduled with the White House still weighing five potential locations, according to the comments made by President Trump to reporters on Tuesday.

Trump earlier also said that the summit would take place “sometime in May or early June” this year.

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