North Korea denies Binance hack role, calls FBI probe 'trite provocation'

North Korea denied involvement in the $6 billion Binance cryptocurrency heist, calling the FBI's attribution of the attack to North Korean hackers "a trite provocation" in a statement from Kim Yo Jong on Tuesday. Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed the FBI announcement as "absurd rhetoric" and accused Washington of spreading misunderstanding, while the FBI linked the theft to the TraderTraitor hacking group, which was also behind a $1.5 billion Bybit hack last year. Experts say North Korea has increasingly relied on cryptocurrency theft to fund its economy and nuclear program amid sanctions, and the denial comes as Pyongyang ramps up weapons tests, though President Trump said investigators are not yet certain of North Korea's involvement.