Pyongyang denied on Tuesday its responsibility for a cyber hacking operation that enabled the seizure of $6.3 billion targeting the Binance cryptocurrency platform, rejecting accusations by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of its involvement in the operation. The North Korean leader's sister described these accusations as "ridiculous rhetoric," stressing her country's opposition to cyber attacks.
Published on: 03/11/2026 - 08:55 Last updated: 03/11/2026 - 08:57
North Korea on Tuesday confirmed its rejection of allegations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that it was the party responsible for a $6.3 billion hacking operation targeting the cryptocurrency platform Binance, stressing that it "opposes" cyberattacks.
A statement by Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to what was reported by the North Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, included that the FBI’s claim is nothing but “ridiculous rhetoric that does not contain anything new,” after Washington had also previously accused it of being behind the major hacking operation that occurred on the “Bybit” platform last year.
The statement continued, "The United States misleading international public opinion by suggesting that all cyber crimes (...) in the world are our creation, is a dangerous political provocation against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."
On Saturday, the FBI accused North Korea of being behind this theft, blaming a group of North Korean hackers known as Trader Traitor.
Read also: Is North Korea behind the hacking of the Binance cryptocurrency platform and the withdrawal of $6.3 billion?
This is the same group that the FBI accused of stealing $1.5 billion from the Bybit platform in February 2025, which was considered the largest theft in the field of cryptocurrencies at the time.
The Trader Traitor group is part of the Lazarus Group, which is linked to North Korean intelligence services. Lazarus rose to fame in 2014 when it was accused of hacking into Sony Pictures Entertainment studios in response to the satirical film "The Interview" about North Korea.
Kim Yo Jong added, "This is a malicious attempt to damage the international image of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and undermine its national dignity and prestige, and is another gross violation of the country's sovereignty."
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"The consistent political position of the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is to firmly oppose all forms of malicious actions in cyberspace," she continued.
Commenting on the issue of Binance, which is the first in the world in terms of digital currency trading volume and has 335 million users, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who calls for a policy of calm with North Korea, confirmed on Tuesday that there are “clear limits” to the current measures in confronting digital threats, without directly accusing a specific party, despite his reference to “a group of electronic hackers.”
He continued, "We must establish a comprehensive preventive system to confront the cybersecurity crisis."
According to a report issued by the US Army in 2020, the North Korean cyber warfare unit known as “Office 121” at the time included six thousand members who also worked from outside the country, especially from Belarus, China, India, Malaysia, and Russia.
France 24/AFP
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