North Korea has denounced a recent report on its illicit overseas labor schemes, branding the multinational body behind it a U.S.-backed “ghost group.” The statement, carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Monday, rejected the findings of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT).

Pyongyang characterized the team’s efforts to scrutinize its economic ties as unlawful interference. The MSMT report had detailed North Korea’s continued deployment of workers abroad, a practice banned under UN Security Council resolutions aimed at cutting off revenue for its weapons programs.

The North Korean statement framed the monitoring as part of a broader campaign of “hostile policy” led by the United States. This public rejection underscores Pyongyang’s ongoing defiance of international sanctions oversight.