North Korea denies FBI hack claims and test-fires cruise missiles
North Korea has condemned FBI allegations that it orchestrated the $6 billion (€5.3 billion) theft from cryptocurrency platform Binance, while simultaneously test-firing strategic cruise missiles in a display of military capability. Kim Yo-jong, sister of leader Kim Jong-un, dismissed the FBI's claim as a "grave political provocation" and "absurd rhetoric," following the agency's Saturday statement linking the hack to a North Korean-affiliated group called TraderTraitor. Experts call the theft potentially the largest cryptocurrency hack in history, with the haul equaling nearly a quarter of North Korea's estimated annual GDP. The missile test, reported by state media KCNA, involved a new cluster-munition warhead capable of destroying a 5 to 6 hectare target area. A 2024 UN report noted North Korean cyberattack proceeds have reportedly funded weapons of mass destruction development, while South Korean President Lee Jae-myung called for stronger cybersecurity measures.