The Foreign Ministry's Information Department has lodged a serious representation to the Beijing bureau of Choson Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, its spokesperson Kong Quan said Friday.

The newspaper reported that the Chinese government has partially confirmed the suspicion that North Korea was using Macao banks for money laundering.

"That report is sheer fabrication and extremely irresponsible," Kong said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2006)