North Korea rejects U.S. claim of involvement in Binance cryptocurrency theft

North Korean officials dismissed a U.S. claim that a state-sponsored hacking group was behind the recent Binance cryptocurrency theft, describing the allegation as a "trite provocation" and "absurd rhetoric." The FBI has attributed the theft of more than $6 billion to a group known as TraderTraitor, which was also linked to a $1.5 billion hack of the Bybit exchange last year.

Kim Yo Jong, a senior North Korean official, said the United States repeatedly attempts to associate the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea with cyber-crime incidents and that the latest statement reflects Washington’s hostile stance toward the DPRK. She added that the country is monitoring what she called "persistent provocations" from the United States.

South Korean foreign ministry officials warned that North Korea’s illicit cyber activities pose a growing threat to the global digital economy and said Seoul is cooperating with the United States and other partners to address the risk.

The Binance breach coincides with North Korea’s recent weapons tests, including a new cluster warhead for strategic cruise missiles, amid diplomatic overtures from President Donald Trump, who said investigators have not yet confirmed North Korean involvement.

"I’m not concerned. We’re learning about it. We don’t know if it’s North Korea," Trump said during a press interaction at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Experts note that North Korea has increasingly turned to cryptocurrency theft to generate foreign currency for its economy and nuclear program, citing past estimates that the regime stole roughly $1.1 billion in digital assets over five years.