North Korea denies US accusation that its hackers carried out Binance cryptocurrency theft

As reported by Deutsche Welle and Associated Press. The allegations below are theirs, not Vocemundi's.

North Korea has denied involvement in a major cryptocurrency hack at Binance. The United States has publicly accused North Korean hackers of carrying out the attack. Pyongyang has characterized the accusation as a provocation.

Deutsche Welle (DW) and AP both report the accusation and the denial. This confirms that the two statements were made, not that either is accurate.

What is reported

According to DW, the FBI blamed a state-tied hacking group called TraderTraitor over the weekend. DW's account of the US accusations says more than $6 billion (€5.36 billion) was allegedly drained from Binance. The reports do not include independent verification of that figure, and the AP summary gives no amount.

DW says the hack was reportedly the largest crypto-exchange theft on record. That would put it well above the roughly $1.5 billion Bybit theft in 2025, which was also attributed to North Korean hackers.

The blockchain firm TRM Labs linked the attack to the same group and said most of the money was moved out within 20 minutes, according to DW, citing the German news agency DPA.

Binance said it replaced most of the stolen assets out of its own funds, according to DW. DW also reports that the exchange announced on Monday that withdrawals would restart for additional assets from 04:00 GMT on Tuesday. The announcement covered several blockchains, including Binance Smart Chain, Ethereum, Solana, XRP and Sui, along with selected tokens on Arbitrum, Optimism, Tron and Base. The reports do not say whether withdrawals resumed as scheduled.

What is disputed

The central dispute is whether North Korea was responsible. The reports do not describe the evidence behind the US attribution, and they do not explain how the hack was carried out.

What each side says

• United States / FBI: North Korean hackers were behind the hack. The FBI blamed TraderTraitor.
• North Korea: It was not involved. AP quoted North Korea as calling the accusation "a trite provocation", without naming a specific speaker.
• Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un: DW, citing the state news agency KCNA, quoted her as calling the accusation "a grave political provocation" and "absurd rhetoric and nothing new". She said Pyongyang now has "issues to reconsider" because of Washington's hostility. The reports do not explain what she meant.

Analysts in Seoul told Reuters that the speed of the denial points to concern that Washington could step up efforts to cut off a funding source widely believed to bankroll arms development, according to DW. DW also reports that North Korea has so far stayed silent on Trump's overtures about reviving summit talks.

Vocemundi reviewed only a summary of the AP report.

Vocemundi note: this story relays allegations published by Deutsche Welle and Associated Press. Vocemundi did not have access to the underlying evidence or documents and has not independently verified these claims. The people and organisations named are presumed innocent; their response is included where it was available.

Analysis

The dispute rests on an attribution whose evidence the reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not describe, so neither the US accusation nor North Korea's denial can be independently assessed here. One possible scenario is that Washington steps up efforts against suspected funding channels, the concern that analysts in Seoul identified. Another is that the dispute further complicates any revival of summit talks, although the meaning of Kim Yo Jong's "issues to reconsider" is unexplained. For Binance and its customers, the main open questions are how much money can be traced or recovered, and whether any losses will last.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.