N Korea claims NHS, Sony hack suspect ‘doesn’t exist’

North Korea has said that a man charged with hacking Sony Pictures in 2014 is a “non-existent” individual and warned the US that its accusation could have a negative effect on relations between the two countries.

The US Justice Department charged Park Jin-hyok on 6 September with conspiring in “multiple destructive cyber-attacks around the world”, including the the 2014 attack on Sony Pictures. It alleged he created the malicious software used to cripple the UK’s National Health Service in 2017.

The US Treasury Department also added Mr Park to its list of sanctioned individuals. He is allegedly linked to Lab 110, one of the North Korean government’s hacking organisations, also known as the Lazarus Group.