Kim Yo Jong rejects FBI claim over Binance theft

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, rejected the FBI’s attribution of the theft of more than $6 billion in virtual assets from Binance to North Korea, calling the accusation absurd rhetoric and a political provocation. Her statement was carried by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday. The FBI said it had attributed the theft to TraderTraitor, a group it linked to North Korea. The bureau identified cryptocurrency addresses associated with the stolen assets and urged companies to block transactions connected to them. It said the attackers were converting the funds into other cryptocurrencies and that further laundering was expected. Kim accused Washington of trying to portray North Korea as a cybercriminal state and said the allegation reflected U.S. hostility. She also suggested that examining who might receive cryptocurrency if it were recovered could offer clues about the perpetrator. She provided no evidence linking the United States to the theft. The public attribution remains disputed. President Donald Trump said investigators were still learning about the case and did not know whether North Korea was responsible. That statement...