North Korea rejects FBI allegations linking it to reported $6bn Binance crypto theft

North Korea has rejected allegations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) linking it to a reported $6 billion theft from cryptocurrency exchange Binance, describing the accusation as a “grave political provocation”.

In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, November 3, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed the allegation as “absurd rhetoric and nothing new”.

She also referenced previous US accusations linking North Korea to the $1.5 billion hack of cryptocurrency platform Bybit in February last year.

“It is a grave political provocation against the DPRK that the US misleads the international public opinion as if all the cyber crimes in different parts of the world are our deeds,” she said, using the abbreviation for North Korea's official name.

The FBI said on Saturday that TraderTraitor, a hacking group it associates with North Korea, was responsible for the reported Binance attack.

The same group was previously blamed for stealing $1.5 billion from Bybit, an incident described at the time as the largest cryptocurrency theft on record before the reported Binance breach.

Kim accused Washington of attempting to damage North Korea's international reputation and undermine its sovereignty.

“This is a sinister attempt to damage the international image of the DPRK and undermine its dignity and national prestige and another grave violation of the sovereignty of the DPRK,” she said.

She added that North Korea remained opposed to malicious activities in cyberspace.

Binance is the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by daily trading volume. News of the reported attack was followed by sharp declines in the prices of several major cryptocurrencies on Friday, October 30.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump expressed uncertainty about North Korea's involvement when questioned by reporters on Saturday, October 31.

“I’m not concerned. We’re learning about it. We don’t know if it’s North Korea,” he said at his residence in Florida.

Trump has made several overtures to Pyongyang since returning to office and previously indicated his willingness to meet Kim Jong Un this year.

North Korea has yet to publicly respond to those gestures. However, Kim Yo Jong said the latest allegations had once again demonstrated Washington's hostile attitude towards her country.

“We have issues to reconsider in diverse aspects as regards the very unpleasant US hostile attitude,” she added.