North Korea denies being behind record $6.3bn Binance hack
US government agencies and cyber analysts have blamed Pyongyang for the record-breaking heist.
Key points
- North Korea denied US claims that it was behind the $6.3bn Binance hack.
- Kim Yo Jong called the accusations a grave political provocation against the DPRK.
- Binance said an engineer's laptop was compromised and it has covered about 95% of stolen assets.
North Korea has rejected claims that it carried out the record $6.3bn (£4.7bn) hack of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, according to BBC News. Kim Yo Jong, a senior official and the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said on Tuesday that the allegations are an "absurd rhetoric".
The FBI, the Secret Service and cyber analysts have said North Korea orchestrated the attack, described as the largest in history. Blockchain analysts and the FBI have linked the attack to the state-backed hacking group TraderTraitor.
Pyongyang's response
Kim Yo Jong, director of North Korea's General Affairs Department, said in a statement that the US had made a "trite provocation" by linking the hack to the DPRK. She called it a grave political provocation that misleads international public opinion, and said opposing malicious acts in cyberspace is the DPRK government's consistent policy.
North Korea has denied past accusations of major cyber attacks. The TraderTraitor unit, also known as the Lazarus Group, was blamed for a then-record $1.5bn hack of crypto exchange Bybit in 2025.
It is a grave political provocation against the DPRK that the US misleads the international public opinion
— Kim Yo Jong
Binance's response
Binance said initial checks indicated an engineer's laptop had been compromised, allowing an attacker to make unauthorised withdrawals. Trading in major cryptocurrencies has resumed after the exchange worked with issuers to freeze affected assets.
Binance said on Sunday that customers withdrew more than $3.6bn as it reopened following the suspension of all transactions. The company has said it would cover all losses and has so far covered around 95% of the stolen assets. The BBC has contacted Binance for comment.
