North Korea slams FBI claims it was behind €5bn Binance hack and test fires missiles

North Korea has dismissed allegations from the FBI that it was responsible for a massive $6 billion (€5.3 billion) cryptocurrency heist from platform Binance. The missile test came after Kim Yo-jong, sister of leader Kim Jong-un, publicly rebuked the FBI claims as a "grave political provocation." The FBI had identified a North Korea-linked hacking group called TraderTraitor as behind the hack, which experts view as potentially the largest cryptocurrency theft in history.

Kim Yo-jong said the FBI's allegation was "absurd rhetoric" and similar to past claims that North Korea was behind other major hacks. North Korea likely responded due to the international attention on the incident, according to Michael Bosack, a former UN official. The hack has prompted South Korea to call for enhanced security measures for its digital infrastructure.

North Korea also test-fired new strategic cruise missiles fitted with a new cluster-munition warhead, which can destroy a 5-6 hectare target area. The test demonstrated the country's ability to defend against key military infrastructure in South Korea and the US, as well as providing a "double deterrence" against South Korea with conventional asymmetric strike capabilities.