North Korea denies role in record Binance hack, calls US charge 'provocation'

North Korea has hit back at US accusations that its hackers drained more than $6 billion (more than 5.36 billion euros) from cryptocurrency exchange Binance. Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un , called the charge "a grave political provocation," according to state media agency KCNA. Kim described the US claim as "absurd rhetoric and nothing new.” The accusation came from the FBI , which blamed a state-tied hacking group called TraderTraitor over the weekend. This was reportedly the biggest crypto-exchange heist on record , well above the roughly $1.5 billion Bybit raid in 2025, which was also attributed to North Korean hackers.