Kim Yo-jong Mocks US Claims Over Binance Heist

North Korea rejected US allegations that its government orchestrated the $6.3 billion hack of cryptocurrency exchange Binance on Tuesday. Kim Yo-jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un and director of the General Affairs Department, labeled the accusations absurd rhetoric. She described the claims as a sinister attempt by Washington to damage Pyongyang's public image.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Secret Service, and cyber analysts maintain that North Korea led the attack. Investigators identified the operation as the largest hack in history. They attributed the breach to the state-backed group TraderTraitor, also known as the Lazarus Group. The FBI has asked industry partners to block transactions involving accounts linked to that unit.

Kim Yo-jong called the US stance a grave political provocation. In a statement, she argued that the US misleads international opinion by suggesting all global cyber crimes originate in North Korea. The country has consistently denied such claims in the past. She reiterated the government's policy of opposing malicious acts in cyberspace.

This incident follows a similar attack in 2025. At that time, the TraderTraitor unit was blamed for a $1.5 billion hack of crypto exchange Bybit. Research groups note that Pyongyang builds its cyber operations by recruiting university students. These students are sent to hacker units overseen by the country's intelligence agency.

Binance has focused its public comments on the technical details of the breach. The company stated that an engineer's laptop was compromised, allowing an attacker to make unauthorized withdrawals. Trading in major cryptocurrencies has resumed after the exchange froze affected assets. Binance reported that customers withdrew more than $3.6 billion in assets after the platform reopened following a temporary suspension of transactions.

The exchange has said it will cover all losses linked to the attack. It reported covering approximately 95% of the stolen assets. The BBC contacted Binance for further comment on the denial. The company continues to manage the recovery process for its users.