North Korea rejects US allegations over $6 billion Binance crypto heist

North Korea has dismissed United States allegations that it was responsible for a cryptocurrency theft from the Binance exchange, calling the claims "absurd rhetoric." According to the Hindustan Times - World News, state news agency KCNA quoted ruling party official Kim Yo Jong as stating that the US is attempting to brand the country as a cybercriminal state through "grave political provocation." France 24 reported that North Korea warned such US hostility could impact future diplomatic engagement.

The FBI stated over the weekend that North Korea was behind the theft of more than $6 billion in virtual assets from Binance, an incident that could be the largest financial heist ever recorded. SCMP Business reports that Binance identified the theft as a $6.43 billion heist, potentially involving the exploitation of a compromised engineer's laptop by a state-sponsored group. Following the attack, Binance froze withdrawals for over two days before resuming operations.

Straits Times Business reports that Binance customers have since withdrawn a net $4.72 billion from the platform since it reopened. The exchange noted that these outflows represent approximately 3% of the assets on its platform and stated it has vowed to repay customers in full.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, Hindustan Times - World News, SCMP Business, Straits Times Business — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.