North Korea has rejected allegations by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) linking the country to the theft of $6 billion from cryptocurrency exchange Binance.
Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, described the allegations as a “grave political provocation” in a statement released on Tuesday by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The FBI said on Saturday that a North Korea-affiliated hacking group known as TraderTraitor was responsible for the cyberattack.
Kim dismissed the accusation as “absurd rhetoric and nothing new”, arguing that Washington was attempting to portray North Korea as responsible for cybercrimes around the world.
She said the allegation was part of an attempt to damage the country’s international reputation and undermine its sovereignty.
“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,” Kim said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
She added that Pyongyang opposed all forms of malicious activities in cyberspace.
According to the FBI, TraderTraitor was behind the Binance hack. The group was also blamed for stealing $1.5 billion from cryptocurrency exchange Bybit in February 2025, in what was then described as the largest cryptocurrency theft on record.
Binance is the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by daily trading volume.
News of the latest attack reportedly triggered a sharp fall in the prices of major cryptocurrencies on Friday.
US President Donald Trump expressed uncertainty over North Korea’s alleged role in the attack after the FBI released its statement.
“I’m not concerned. We’re learning about it. We don’t know if it’s North Korea,” Trump told reporters at his residence in Florida.
Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in engaging with North Korea since returning to office and said he was open to meeting Kim Jong Un this year.
However, Pyongyang has yet to respond to those overtures.
Kim Yo Jong said the FBI’s latest allegations further demonstrated what she described as Washington’s hostile attitude towards North Korea.
“We have issues to reconsider in diverse aspects as regards the very unpleasant US hostile attitude,” she added.
