North Korea has rejected FBI allegations linking it to a reported $6 billion theft from cryptocurrency exchange Binance, with Kim Yo Jong describing the accusation as a “grave political provocation”.
In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, November 3, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dismissed the allegation as “absurd rhetoric and nothing new”. She referred to previous US accusations connecting North Korea to the major attack on cryptocurrency platform Bybit last year. NigerianNews Subscription
“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 Binance attack.
The same group was blamed for the theft of $1.5 billion from Bybit in February last year. That incident had been described as the largest cryptocurrency theft before the reported Binance breach. Kim accused Washington of seeking to damage North Korea’s international standing.
“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. “It is the consistent policy stand of the DPRK government to resolutely oppose all sorts of malicious acts in cyberspace,” she added.
Binance is the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by daily trading volume. News of the reported attack was followed by sharp falls in the prices of most major cryptocurrencies on Friday, October 30. NigerianNews Subscription
Despite the FBI’s attribution, US President Donald Trump expressed uncertainty about North Korea’s involvement when questioned on Saturday, October 31. “I’m not concerned. We’re learning about it. We don’t know if it’s North Korea,” he told reporters at his residence in Florida. Trump has made several overtures to Pyongyang since returning to office and has said he would be willing to meet Kim Jong Un this year.
North Korea has not publicly responded to those gestures. Kim Yo Jong said the latest allegations had “confirmed Washington’s hostile attitude toward the DPRK once again”. “We have issues to reconsider in diverse aspects as regards the very unpleasant US hostile attitude,” she added.
