North Korea has condemned allegations by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation that a hacking group linked to Pyongyang was responsible for the theft of six billion dollars from cryptocurrency exchange Binance.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, described the allegations as a “grave political provocation” and accused Washington of attempting to damage the country’s international reputation.
In a statement released on Tuesday by North Korea’s state news agency, KCNA, Kim dismissed the FBI’s claims as “absurd rhetoric”, saying the United States was wrongly attributing cybercrimes around the world to North Korea.
The FBI had identified a North Korea-linked hacking group known as TraderTraitor as responsible for the attack. The group was also blamed for stealing 1.5 billion dollars from cryptocurrency platform Bybit in February last year, in what was then the largest cryptocurrency theft recorded.
Kim described the latest allegations as an attempt to undermine North Korea’s dignity and national prestige, as well as a violation of its sovereignty. She added that the country opposed all forms of malicious activities in cyberspace.
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Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump expressed uncertainty over North Korea’s involvement in the Binance hack, telling reporters in Florida that the investigation was ongoing and that it was not yet clear who was responsible.
Trump has previously expressed willingness to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un since returning to office, but those overtures have not received a response from Pyongyang.
Kim Yo Jong said the latest allegations further confirmed what she described as Washington’s hostile attitude towards North Korea, adding that her country would have to reconsider its position on relations with the United States.
