North Korea Rejects FBI Claims Over $6 B Binance Hack as Provocation

Seoul – North Korea responded on Tuesday to FBI allegations that Pyongyang stole $6 billion from the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, with Kim Jong‑un’s sister Kim Yo‑jong calling the accusation a “serious political provocation.”

In a statement issued by the state‑run Korean Central News Agency, Kim Yo‑jong dismissed the FBI’s claim as “absurd rhetoric and nothing new,” noting that similar accusations were made after North Korea was blamed for the major Bybit breach last year.

She said, “It is a serious political provocation against the DPRK when the United States misleads global public opinion by implying that all cybercrimes worldwide are our doing,” using the country’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The FBI announced on Saturday that a hacking group linked to North Korea, known as TraderTraitor, was responsible for the breach.

TraderTraitor is the same group previously implicated in a $1.5 billion theft from the Bybit platform in February 2023—the largest crypto heist at the time before the Binance incident.

Kim Yo‑jong added, “This is a sinister attempt to tarnish the DPRK’s international image, undermine its dignity and national prestige, and constitutes another grave violation of our sovereignty.”

She continued, “The DPRK’s longstanding policy is to firmly oppose all malicious activities in cyberspace.”

Binance, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange by daily trading volume, saw most major digital assets tumble sharply on Friday following news of the breach.

After the FBI’s statement, President Donald Trump said at his Florida residence, “I’m not concerned. We’re learning about it. We don’t know if it’s North Korea,” casting doubt on the accusation.

Since returning to office, Trump has repeatedly reached out to the nuclear‑armed North Korean regime and indicated he is willing to meet Supreme Leader Kim Jong‑un this year.

These gestures have so far gone unanswered, with Pyongyang remaining silent.

Kim Yo‑jong said the fresh accusations “confirm once more Washington’s hostile stance toward the DPRK.”

She added, “We have matters to reconsider across various dimensions concerning the deeply unpleasant US hostile attitude.”

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