In brief
Kim Yo‑jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un, slammed the FBI’s claim that a North‑Korean hacking group stole over $6 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance, calling the accusation a sinister attack on the country’s dignity. The agency said the theft was carried out by a gang it named TraderTraitor. Kim’s statement, issued via the state media KCNA, urges the United States to stop what she says is a politicized smear campaign.
Kim Yo‑jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un, denounced the FBI’s announcement that a North‑Korean hacking group stole more than $6 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance as a “grave political provocation” against the country. The statement was carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Tuesday.
The FBI’s announcement on Saturday blamed the theft on a hacking group it calls TraderTraitor, which the agency links to other cryptocurrency heists.
Kim said the United States was “misleading the international public opinion” by claiming that the “cyber crimes in different parts of the world” were carried out by the DPRK, and that this was a “sinister” attempt to damage North Korea’s international image.
She further warned that Washington’s “hostile attitude” was a persistent provocation and called for a reconsideration of “issues in diverse aspects” regarding the U.S.’s stance toward the DPRK.
“The FBI is trying to brand the DPRK as a ‘cyber criminal state’, claiming that it obtained information that a hacking organization ‘supported’ by the DPRK was involved in the incident,” Kim said.
Kim also noted that the current U.S. administration has announced plans to confiscate illegally stolen cryptocurrency assets and use them as a state’s strategic reserve, suggesting that the identity of the rightful owners of the “so‑called stolen cryptocurrency” could reveal the perpetrators.
