ConfirmedBusiness · Pyongyang, North Korea

N. Korean leader's sister blasts FBI's crypto theft probe as 'political provocation'

First reported 2026-11-02 22:12 UTC · Updated 2026-11-03 03:27 UTC · 8 independent sources

What happened

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, rejected the FBI's accusation that Pyongyang hacked the Binance crypto exchange, calling it a "grave political provocation".

Her statement, carried by state news agency KCNA on Tuesday, described the claim as "absurd rhetoric and nothing new".

The FBI said on Saturday that TraderTraitor, a hacking group affiliated with North Korea, was behind the attack, which CNA puts at US$6 billion and the BBC at $6.3bn.

The same group was blamed for a $1.5 billion attack on the Bybit exchange, previously the biggest crypto theft.

Donald Trump cast doubt on the FBI's finding, telling reporters in Florida that it was not known whether North Korea was responsible.

North Korea has consistently denied responsibility for major cyber attacks blamed on it, according to the BBC.

Summary written by AI from 2 independent sources (CNA, BBC) and checked automatically against them for copied text and numbers that are not in the sources. How we work

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Who reported it

  1. 2026-11-02 22:12 UTCCNA · channelnewsasia.com ↗
  2. 2026-11-02 22:51 UTCArab News via AFP · arabnews.com ↗
  3. 2026-11-02 23:10 UTCStraits Times same text as CNA · straitstimes.com ↗
  4. 2026-11-02 23:32 UTCJapan Times · japantimes.co.jp ↗
  5. 2026-11-02 23:40 UTCSCMP via AFP · scmp.com ↗
  6. 2026-11-02 23:49 UTCFrance 24 · france24.com ↗
  7. 2026-11-02 23:53 UTCKorea Herald · koreaherald.com ↗
  8. 2026-11-03 00:56 UTCBBC · bbc.co.uk ↗
  9. 2026-11-03 01:52 UTCCNBC · cnbc.com ↗
  10. 2026-11-03 02:00 UTCABC · abc.net.au ↗
  11. 2026-11-03 02:07 UTCMyJoyOnline same text as BBC · myjoyonline.com ↗

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