North Korea denies being behind record $6.3bn Binance hack
A senior North Korean official, Kim Yo-jong, has rejected US claims that Pyongyang was behind the hack of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, described as the largest in history. US investigators blame the hacking group TraderTraitor.
North Korea has denied claims that it was responsible for the $6.3bn (£4.7bn) hack of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, which has been described as the largest in history. Pyongyang called the allegations "absurd rhetoric".
The statement came from Kim Yo-jong, director of North Korea's General Affairs Department and the sister of leader Kim Jong Un. On Tuesday she said the accusations were another "sinister attempt" by the US to damage Pyongyang's public image.
What the US side says
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Secret Service and cyber analysts say North Korea orchestrated the hack. Blockchain analysts and the FBI say the attack was led by TraderTraitor, a state-backed hacking group. The FBI has asked industry partners to help block transactions involving cryptocurrency accounts linked to the group.
North Korea has previously been accused of relying on cyber-crime to help finance its sanctioned economy. This is the latest hack to be linked to the country.
Pyongyang's response
In her statement, Kim Yo-jong said the US had "made a trite provocation of linking it with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea again". She described it as a grave political provocation that the US misleads international public opinion as if all cyber crimes in different parts of the world were North Korea's deeds.
