Accused by the FBI of being behind the cyberattack on the cryptocurrency platform Binance last week, North Korea on Tuesday denounced a “serious political provocation” and “absurd rhetoric that brings nothing new”.
Published on: 03/11/2026 - 00:12
North Korea on Tuesday denounced FBI accusations that Pyongyang was behind the record $6.3 billion hack against cryptocurrency exchange Binance, with leader Kim Jong-un's sister calling them a "serious political provocation."
Kim Yo-jong said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA that the FBI's claims were "absurd rhetoric that adds nothing new", given previous US accusations that North Korea was already responsible for the ByBit hack in February 2025.
“It is a serious political provocation against the DPRK for the United States to mislead international public opinion as if all cybercrimes committed in different parts of the world are our doing,” Kim Yo-jong said, using the acronym for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
Also read: Binance: why the cyber heist of the century has not yet revealed all its secrets
The American federal police (FBI) formally accused North Korea on Saturday of the record theft of $6.3 billion thanks to the hacking of Binance, the world's leading cryptocurrency exchange.
“Office 121”
The FBI says it has identified the North Korean hacker group known as TraderTraitor behind the theft. The FBI attributed to them the theft of $1.5 billion suffered in February 2025 by the Bybit platform, so far the largest in the sector.
Kim Yo-jong denounced "a sinister attempt to damage the international image of the DPRK, to undermine its dignity and national prestige, and a further serious violation of (its) sovereignty". "It is the consistent policy of the DPRK government to resolutely oppose any malicious acts in cyberspace," she said.
World number one in digital currency trading volume, Binance claims 335 million users. The announcement of this hack caused the price of cryptocurrencies to fall sharply on Friday.
The TraderTraitor group is considered part of the Lazarus group, itself affiliated with North Korean intelligence services. Lazarus became known in 2014 when he was accused of hacking Sony Pictures Entertainment studios in retaliation for the satirical film about North Korea "The Interview That Kills!"
According to a 2020 US military report, North Korea's cyberwarfare unit, "Office 121", has 6,000 employees who also operate from abroad, including Belarus, China, India, Malaysia and Russia.
With AFP
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