North Korea denies being behind $6.3bn Binance crypto hack

North Korea has denied claims that it was behind the record $6.3bn (£4.7bn) hack of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, calling the allegations an “absurd rhetoric”.

Kim Yo-jong, one of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s top officials and the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement on Tuesday that the accusations are another “sinister attempt” by the US to damage the country’s public image.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Secret Service and cyber analysts have said North Korea orchestrated the hack – describing it as the largest in history.

Pyongyang has also been blamed for a number of major cyber attacks – accusations that it has consistently denied.

Blockchain analysts and the FBI have said the attack was led by state-backed hacking group TraderTraitor.

The unit is also known as the Lazarus Group, which was blamed for a then-record $1.5bn hack of crypto exchange Bybit in 2025.

The FBI has called on industry partners to help block transactions involving cryptocurrency accounts linked to the group.

“The US has made a trite provocation of linking it with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea again,” Kim Yo-jong, the director of North Korea’s General Affairs Department, said.

“It is a grave political provocation against the DPRK that the US misleads the international public opinion as if all the cyber crimes in different parts of the world are our deeds,” she said.

The BBC has contacted Binance for comment. Since the hack, the crypto giant has largely focused its public statements on the technical nature of the breach and its response to protect users.