North Korea lashed out at the Western press for painting the country as a hotbed of illegal drugs after U.S. authorities arrested five people suspected of importing methamphetamine made in the communist country.

In a statement released by the North's foreign ministry spokesman late Thursday, Pyongyang said the recent reports are part of a smear campaign to tarnish the country's image.

"Allegations that the DPRK is a source of illegal drugs is ludicrous," the statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency

(KCNA) said. It then accused South Korea and the United States of spreading lies aimed at isolating the country from the rest of the world.

The ministry said that the United States is the true source of drug-related crimes and is a country that encourages the use of illicit substances.

It pointed out that North Korea strictly prohits the making of illegal drugs.

The latest statement comes after CNN and other Western news agencies reported that the North may be resorting to the selling of drugs after international sanctions made it difficult for the country to acquire hard currency.

Sanctions were imposed after Pyongyang refused to give up its weapons of mass destruction programs and carried out long-range rocket and nuclear tests early this year. (Yonhap News)