North Korea Denies Allegations of Hacking Binance and Stealing $6.3 Billion

Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday that the FBI’s allegations were nothing but “ridiculous rhetoric that contains nothing new,” following Washington’s previous accusations that she was behind the major hack of the Bybit platform last year.

The statement added that “the United States’ misinformation of the international public by implying that all cybercrimes worldwide are our doing constitutes a serious political provocation against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”

On Saturday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation accused North Korea of being behind the theft, blaming a group of North Korean cyber hackers known as “Trader Treason.”

This is the same group the FBI accused in February 2025 of stealing $1.5 billion from the Bybit platform, which was then considered the largest cryptocurrency heist.

The “Trader Treason” group is part of the “Lazarus” group, which is linked to North Korean intelligence agencies. Lazarus gained notoriety in 2014 when it was accused of hacking Sony Pictures Entertainment studios in retaliation for the satirical film “The Interview,” which depicted North Korea.

Commenting on the Binance case, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume with 335 million users, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who advocates a policy of appeasement toward North Korea, confirmed on Tuesday that there are “clear limits” to current measures in addressing digital threats, without directly accusing a specific entity despite referring to “a group of cyber hackers.”

According to a 2020 report by the U.S. military, North Korea’s cyber warfare unit, known as “Office 121,” then comprised 6,000 personnel who also operated abroad, particularly in Belarus, China, India, Malaysia, and Russia.

Michael Bosack, founder and director of the Barley Institute for Policy and a former officer in the U.S. Forces Korea, told Agence France-Presse that “the likely reason the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea felt the need to respond was the level of international attention the incident attracted,” noting that the funds seized from Binance amounted to “nearly a quarter of North Korea’s estimated annual GDP.”

He added that “this denial is not just about reputation; the North Korean government needs to maintain the channels available to continue money laundering operations and use this cryptocurrency.”

He pointed out that this massive theft could jeopardize a potential summit between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to hold such a meeting.

The test conducted on Monday “enhanced the ability to deliver a vertical strike on the target by improving maneuverability in the final phase of a cruise missile’s trajectory,” according to the official news agency.

The agency added, “The medium-yield nuclear warhead mounted on the missile can turn an area ranging from five to six hectares into ash when used at its maximum destructive capacity.”

Pyongyang has conducted several tests in recent weeks, ranging from attack drones and hypersonic missiles to torpedoes and nuclear weapons.