Cyber Awareness
Kim Yo Jong Denies U.S. Claims Linking North Korea to Binance Heist
Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has dismissed U.S. allegations that cyber criminals linked to Pyongyang were responsible for the massive Binance heist. According to state news agency KCNA, Kim said the U.S. accusations demonstrate Washington’s continued hostility toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Pyongyang has not responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s earlier‑this‑year overtures to resume summit diplomacy. In response to the U.S. allegations, Kim said North Korea had “issues to reconsider” regarding what she called U.S. hostility. She stated, “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.” She added, “But the U.S. assertion is absurd rhetoric and nothing new.” Kim, a ruling party official, called the U.S. claim a grave political provocation, accusing the U.S. of misleading international public opinion by implying all cyber crimes worldwide are North Korean deeds.
The FBI announced on Saturday that North Korea was responsible for the theft of more than $6 billion in virtual assets from Binance. The agency said malicious actors from North Korea were observed laundering the stolen assets by converting them into Ethereum and expects further laundering stages for the digital assets. An initial assessment by Binance indicated hackers gained access to the exchange’s systems through an engineer who was contacted on a job‑hunting platform by a person posing as a “project director.” After an initial HR round, the Binance engineer, using his work laptop, had a second interview with a supposed CEO of the company. During the interview, the employee was asked to download an “assignment” as part of the recruitment process. Investigators believe the assignment contained malicious code that enabled the attack that led to the theft of over $6 billion worth of cryptocurrencies.
This is not the first time North Korea has been linked to high‑profile cryptocurrency thefts, which analysts say are a key source of funds for its weapons programmes. Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic estimates North Korea has stolen cryptocurrency worth $7.6 billion this year alone. Chainalysis estimated that 89 % of crypto hack losses in 2026 were linked to North Korea, up from 15 % in 2021. The firm also noted the average reported loss per hack rose from $50.65 million in 2021 to $185.65 million in 2026.