North Korea denies carrying out billions in Binance crypto theft

North Korea has denied allegations from the United States that it carried out a massive cryptocurrency theft on the Binance platform, France 24, Bloomberg, and the South China Morning Post reported. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed the accusations through state news agency KCNA as absurd rhetoric and a grave political provocation. [1][6][10]

The denial follows accusations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation blaming North Korea for the historic theft from Binance, according to reports from Fox Business, RTE, Al Jazeera, and the Washington Times. Outlets differed on the exact stolen amount, with France 24, Fox Business, RTE, and the Washington Times citing 6 billion dollars, while Al Jazeera and Bloomberg reported a figure of 6.3 billion dollars. [1][5][8][9][10][11]

Binance has recorded more than 4.7 billion dollars in customer withdrawals since resuming transactions on Sunday after the hack, the New York Post reported. A spokesperson for Binance stated that the outflows represent 3 percent of the exchange's total assets and that withdrawal levels were already stabilizing to normal levels. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Binance had used its own company funds to replenish 90 percent of the stolen assets. [2][16]

Binance was founded in 2017 by Changpeng Zhao and operates as the largest cryptocurrency exchange by daily trading volume. North Korea is an East Asian nation situated on the northern half of the Korean Peninsula, with Pyongyang serving as its capital city. [12][13][15]

North Korea warned that United States hostility could influence future diplomatic engagement, France 24 reported. The statements from Pyongyang arrived as the country remained silent regarding overtures from United States President Donald Trump to resume talks. [1]